Accressere
by miavortice
Summary: AU: In the seaside Kingdom of Iwatobi and the desert Duchy of Samezuka, there are rumors of a war between the two allied countries. For three knights, an even larger wall has appeared between them and knight now loyal to Samezuka. For a young priestess, a chance encounter with her brother's superior makes the threat of war a far more intimate matter. SEIGOU
1. Chapter 1

**Accressere**

Chapter 1

by MiaVortice

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

_Hold a sword like a little bird: not so tightly you crush it, but not so loosely that it escapes your hand._

* * *

"...and for my big brother, Rin," she prayed quietly as she knelt atop a soft, blue pillow and pressed her forehead against the marble rim of a wide, shallow fountain before her. "Keep him safe and bless him for victory."

"Kou!" she could hear her mother's voice calling for her from the entrance of the citadel's shrine. "Kou, come! Your brother and the other knights are leaving!"

Her head flew up and the little girl bowed once more to the fountain that represented the kingdom's patron god, before scrambling to her feet and running across the tiled floor. She didn't bother hiding her heavy footsteps in her rush to get to the courtyard.

"I'm coming!" she huffed as she burst from the doorway and jumped from the top of the steps. "Brother!"

A bright shock of dark pink hair turned around and a wide grin appeared across a boy's face as he saw the little temple attendant leap from one set of stairs to another in order to reach him before he left. His usual dirt-covered training clothes were replaced with clean pants, new boots, and a new gambeson. His sword hung at his side as his gloves were draped over his belt.

He was much more rough looking than his small little sister in her billowing, pale clothes, embossed sandals, and clinking jewelry that he thought was too much for a little girl who had a habit of losing them to wear. Still, he was happy to see her.

It wasn't every day that a knight had his very own priestess-in-training praying for his victory...even if it was just a junior sword tournament two regions away.

"Gou!" Giggling she rammed into her brother, throwing her arms around him and beaming.

"You need to call me Priestess Kou now!" she insisted. "I'm going to be a priestess, you know!"

"You're not a priestess, yet," he smirked. He gave her a quick hug before gently prying her off him. "Did you pray for us?"

"Uh-huh!" Gou nodded earnestly. "I prayed for you and Mako and Haru and Nagisa, but mostly for you!" She drew her arms behind her, pleased. "Even if you won't need it because you're the best."

"Rin!" another voice called from ahead of them. A boy with gentle eyes was seated atop a horse carrying multiple supplies. His sword was at his side. "We're going to leave soon, get on your horse!"

Gou clapped her hands together and jumped up and down in place excitedly. "Good luck, Mako!" He smiled warmly at her and gave her a nod.

"Be good, Gou," he told her.

She turned to a boy seated on another horse beside him. "You, too, Haru!" She received a lazy nod in return. "Good luck, Nagisa!"

The youngest of the group was still sitting behind their captain. He gave her a little salute as he beamed. "See you when we get back, Gou!"

She nodded and stepped back as her brother was handed the reins of his horse and easily climbed on to the saddle. "Be good for Mother and behave at the temple," the older sibling bid her. Gou nodded.

"Of course!"

"Good," Rin smiled. "We'll be back in a few weeks!" He gently nudged the side of his horse and began to to follow the others.

"Just don't miss my ceremony!" Gou called as she walked along side the beast. She quickened her step as the horse picked up his. "You have to be there!"

"I know, I know!" Rin gave her wave. "I'll see you at your priestess induction!"

"Promise!" Gou demanded as the horse out paced her.

Rin smirked and gave her a nod as he looked over his shoulder. "Promise!"

She energetically waved her arms in the air, refusing to leave the courtyard until she could no longer see her brother. She would always miss them when they were gone. Not just her brother, but calm Makoto, patient Haruka, and always-fun-to-play-with Nagisa. She couldn't wait until they returned.

"Miss them already, Kou?" her mother asked, amused behind her.

Gou turned around and nodded. "Yes, but don't worry," she seemed to assure her mother. "They'll be back soon!"

* * *

In one step, in one fluid movement, he could both defend himself from an attack and counterattack. First, one learned to defend in one step, then counterattack in the next. Then, do defend in one step and attack before the opponent completed theirs in a step and a half. Finally, it would all come together in one step.

As the sword moved, he took a step forward and from the doorway, a pair of green eyes watched the blade come down, following an unseen trajectory perfectly just as his foot finished the step, balancing himself firmly on the hard dirt ground.

An exasperated sigh escaped the tall man's lips as he smiled softly and shook his head. A small, blond head peered over his shoulder. "Ah!" Bright eyes lit up. "That's where he was!" Ungloved hands were throw in the air. "Haru-"

"Shhh," a pair of larger hands gently closed over his mouth. The green eyes smiled intently. "Let him finish his form, Nagisa."

The younger knight blinked and then nodded earnestly as the older one released him. Both watched the smooth movements of attacks that transitioned from one to the other, each within a step, before finally landing the final descending cut.

Nagisa took it has cue to burst forward, somehow wiggling himself between the older knight and the doorway where they were standing. His boots kicked up dust in his hasty movement and the slight rattle of his sword against his sheath and side was lost under his cheerful greeting.

"Haru!" he called happily, beaming an energetic smile as the dark-haired knight sheathed his sword and turned towards the approaching blond. "Haru! That was amazing! Have you been practicing all day?"

"Yes," a low, lazy response escaped the brunette's lips. Sweat glistened across his brow as he rested a hand over the sword's pommel. He kept his black training gauntlets on as he gave the blonde a vaguely inquizzitive look. "What are you doing here?"

"We've come to get you!" Nagisa smiled. "Today's the day, remember?"

"What day?" Haruka asked as he walked towards the remaining knight still lingering by the wood framed door.

Nagisa's face fell as he followed behind him. "Did you already forget, Haru? We reminded you yesterday."

"The new recruits are coming to the castle grounds from the citadel outside of town today," the green-eyed man said as he stepped aside to let the shorter brunette through. "They're going to receive their blessings from the Water God's priestess and then be assigned posts based on their assessments."

"But, Mako, I heard that most of them wanted to be assigned to the royal guard," Nagisa pointed out. He lifted his hand and rubbed his chin. "Ah!" His eyes widened. "What if no one wants to become a knight!?"

"There are always a few who wish to become one of us," Haru assured him calmly.

"I'm sure Captain Sasabe will look through their qualifications...," Makoto trailed off and looked off to the side. "Thoroughly...," he concluded weakly.

Becoming a knight was thought to be a noble pursuit, but considering the amount of physical training, the lectures, and various other activities that made a knight well-rounded, most recruits opted for the more straight forward and less time intensive positions around the castle, such as that of royal guards.

It didn't help that of the few who had shown interest in the position were often scared off, if not completely rejected, by their aging captain, Sir Sasabe Goro. As a result, there were a grand total of four knights, including the middle-aged captain who was semi-retired. If it continued, by the time Nagisa retired, there would be no knights at all.

"Maybe we'll get a recruit this year," Nagisa piped hopefully. "You never know! We may be lucky this year!"

The door closed behind them and they proceeded through the near vacant knights quarters to get to the main courtyard. Even through the stone lined halls, they could hear the noise coming from the courtyard. It was a beehive of activity that day with rows of recruits gathered over hard packed dirt, still in their worn, dusty brown training pants and loose, sweat-strained tunics.

Numerous commanding officers from various regiments were pacing the crowds while grasping pieces of parchment filled with notes. Occasionally, they would stop in front of a recruit and size him up.

Nagisa's dark pink eyes scanned the courtyard and lit up. "Ah! There he is!" He tugged at Makoto's neatly pressed sleeve and pointed to a golden-haired man dressed in metal plated armor with a sword at his side. His helmet was not to be seen, revealing an intense, concentrated face almost glaring at his stack of papers.

Makoto inwardly winced. That didn't look like a good sign.

"There are a lot of them this year," Haruka spoke up from his right. "The royal guard must be pleased."

"Let's not focus on the royal guard right now," Makoto suggested. "Let's see if Captain Sasabe has received any prospects." Haruka nodded his head solemnly and followed behind the tallest knight. Nagisa bounded ahead of them, easily maneuvering his way through the crowds.

It was still quite impressive that the smallest member of the knighthood could move in such a way, even when he was wearing full armor. The sword wasn't Nagisa's best weapon; but he was perfect with daggers.

In contrast, Makoto had a firm, rooted grace and agility, as well as strength that made him a challenging opponent in grappling. He'd bested their captain numerous times already and Captain Sasabe had insisted it was because he was just old and 'couldn't move like he used to'.

For Haruka, however, it was the sword. The smooth, fluid, and calculated movements gave him a sense of freedom and flexibility that he didn't get from grappling or daggers, where he'd have to be closer than he'd like to an opponent.

"Captain!" Nagisa called out as they reached the older man standing by himself in a corner. "Captain, did we get anyone this year!?"

A scowl was pasted across the captain's face. "Look at this," he said as he handed the stack of papers to them. "For all these recruits, not a single one is interested in becoming a knight!"

Nagisa's face fell as Makoto extended his bare hand and took the papers. He went through them quietly, his brows furrowing slowly with each paper he reviewed. "Everyone wants to be a royal guard."

"It's a good position," Haruka pointed out. The hours were good. There was no heavy travel involved. If one got sick, there was always another one who could cover for him.

"They said that knights in Iwatobi are no longer necessary, can you believe that!?" Captain Sasabe fumed.

"Well, with Samezuka as an ally and their knights, we haven't really been in need of our own...," Makoto trailed off. The Captain sent him a glare.

He pointed to send floor hall that opened into the courtyard above them. "The royal guard divisions are about to do their exhibitions for the recruits. It'll be a while until it's our turn; just go wait up there."

Nagisa giggled and happily bounded towards the stairs. Makoto continued after him as Haruka followed. "It would be nice if we could get some more members!" the youngest of the trio piped. "I could use someone to spar with."

"You spar with us," Makoto chuckled.

"Yes, but usually one person has to wait," Nagisa sighed. They finished climbing a narrow set of stone steps and reached the next floor. Nagisa stopped in his tracks, making Makoto bump into him and Haruka into him. "Eh?"

Makoto looked over the blonde's head and saw a figure in pale white and blue robes crouched just beside the balcony wall, with her fabric covered hands gripping the stone, as a pair of clear, burgundy eyes earnestly peeked over.

Haruka craned his head around Makoto's body and saw the escort-less Water God priestess.

"Oh," he said. "It's Gou."

Her dark maroonish-red hair was pulled up into a high ponytail decorated with gold pins and shining blue stones beneath an opaque white veil that she had brushed back in order to get a better look. Her eyes were glazed over and Makoto could've sworn there was a bit of drool coming from the corner of her mouth.

"Err...Priestess," he called carefully.

"I love the way they roll up their sleeves...their defined brachioradialis move and flexing beneath their skin...," the young priestess muttered to herself. She let out a squeak as she squeezed the stone. "Ah...a man on the verge of battle is truly breath-taking!"

"Priestess Kou," Makoto called out once more. When it was clear that she was completely distracted, he called out the name they were used to calling her "Gou!"

"Yes!" She shot up straight and immediately clasped her hands together in front of her, assuming the humble priestess position. As soon as she realized who was in front of her, her shoulders relaxed. "Oh, it's you guys."

"Gou, what are you doing here?" Nagisa asked as he bounded towards the edge of the balcony.

"Isn't the blessing supposed to happen in the inner courtyard?" Haruka asked.

"And where are your escorts?" Makoto asked. Red eyes looked to the side. "Gou," he began disapprovingly. "Where are your escorts?"

"I told them I had to fix my hair and they let me return to the preparation room by myself," she explained. She looked away once more. "Then I climbed out of the window."

"Gou..." Makoto sighed heavily as he lifted his hand to his forehead and rubbed it. "You can't keep sneaking out like that."

"I'll go back as soon as the demonstrations are finished!" she insisted. "I promise! I just can't miss this! It only happens once a year!"

"Your escorts will notice that you're missing and come looking for you," Haruka pointed out as he reached her side and stood between her and Nagisa. "So I'd stay low."

Her face lit up as she nodded. "I will!" She crouched back down and Makoto stood to her other side in an effort to help keep her hidden.

"I wonder why they accepted so many recruits this year," Nagisa said as he leaned forward.

"Are there any that signed up to be knights?" Gou asked hopefully. "You need teams of four to join tournaments and Lady Amakata is still willing to sponsor you if you can get another member."

"She's just willing to sponsor us because her ex-fiancee is an avid tournament fan and sponsors his own team," Haruka said calmly.

"But she's still a willing sponsor," Gou insisted. "And if I say that I'm going to escort her and perform prayers for the knights, I can get out of the temple."

"You can get out of the temple whenever you want," Makoto reminded her.

She pouted and rested her chin on the wall. "Only with escorts...and not out of the city."

"Well, why don't you ask Princess Hana?" Nagisa asked. The priestess and Iwatobi's princess had been good friends since childhood, as Gou's family were wealthy nobles and she had grown up in the court. However, when Gou's brother joined the knighthood, she started going to the Water God's temple. One way or another, she found herself as one of the temple priestesses. "Maybe you can join her when she goes on those trips to neighboring kingdoms."

Gou's eyes softened. "But she never goes to Samezuka," a quiet voice reached their ears just as the guards below began their march.

The three knights with the young priestess went quiet. Makoto's large hand gently rested on her head, as if to give her comfort.

Gou had been with them since they were children because of her close relationship with her older brother. They had watched the curious little red-head peering around stone columns as they trained with her sibling. They had also watched her stare blankly at the courtyard after her brother left.

Everyone of them had been affected by Matsuoka Rin's departure. He had taken interest in knightly tournaments at a young age and strived to one day head his own troupe. He was energetic, diligent, and an excellent swordsman.

Then, one tournament season for the young knights, Rin didn't come home. Nagisa wondered if it was because the Iwatobi knights were so small in number. Makoto silently blamed it on lack of opportunity for Rin to improve and raise through non-existent ranks. Haruka never voiced his opinion, but lost interest in tournaments. Still, none of that mattered to Gou.

She had lost her brother to the Duchy of Samezuka, a military power that had long been allied with Iwatobi that would give Rin the opportunities he wanted. Unfortunately, that also not only meant denouncing his citizenship to Iwatobi, but leaving it completely.

He hadn't even been there when Gou had been bestowed the title of priestess, even though he was the very reason she had joined the temple in the first place.

That was probably why she wanted to get out of the city and go to tournaments.

"It would be good to see him, too," Makoto agreed softly. "Isn't that right, Haru? Nagisa?"

The blond nodded enthusiastically while beside him, Haruka nodded his head. To cross blades with Rin again...

"We only need one more person." His voice was quiet and over the sound of the royal guard sounding off below, Gou almost didn't hear him. She tilted her head up towards him and smiled. Of the three, Rin seemed to enjoy training with Haruka the most. That hadn't been lost on the young woman.

"Then," she promised both him and herself. "We'll find one."

* * *

He lifted his head, his lips pulled into a tight line as his amber eyes narrowed. All around him several men and women were murmuring amongst themselves at what the young, new head of the Samezuka noble house had just said. It couldn't have been true.

"Where have you heard that?" His graying grandfather rose from his seat to address the Samezuka head. "Who has given you such information?"

"Rumors have reached us through the trade route that Iwatobi has gotten closer to neighboring kingdoms," the Samezuka head informed them. "We fear that with their increased trade with other countries, they will no longer need us."

"That's ridiculous," the head of the Nitori family dismissed easily as all eyes in the room turned to him. "Iwatobi has not had a strong military force in generations! The royal family is protected by the royal guard and their knights are almost non-existent! Of course they need us!"

"But for how much longer?" Samezuka asked critically. "Iwatobi is wealthy because of its trade and they share that wealth and trade with us in exchange for protecting their eastern border. As a result, our desert city has flourished, but at what cost?" he demanded. "A dependency on a small seaside kingdom? Since the last great war, there has been no need for the Duchy to fight battles for Iwatobi and our merchants have noticed a slow in trade with them in recent years. In contrast, Iwatobi has spread it's trade routes further than ever before."

"And you think this is reason to suspect them of turning against us?" Seijuurou's grandfather snorted with distaste. "That's absurd! It makes perfect sense that with Iwatobi spreading their trade further, it is stretched thinner and so as they search for new prospects, existing trade may not be as lucrative."

The orange-haired, male still in his training gambeson from that day's drills nodded to himself in agreement. It wasn't as if trade was terrible, either. The desert duchy headed by the three noble families was a bustling economic center. They were a day's travel from Iwatobi and as a result, were a major spot for travelers to rest and merchants to do some additional trading.

"And how long are we going to allow it to remain that way? Are we going to allow Iwatobi to simply push us aside now that we are no longer useful? This could be a threat to our entire economy!" someone shouted.

Immediately, the chamber room of the Samezuka castle sounded with yells of agreement and counter yells of disbelief. Seijuurou frowned as he remained seated behind his grandfather, the current head of the Mikoshiba family.

The concern of the Samezuka head was causing waves amongst the nobles; many of whom had ties to the Duchy's trade and hospitality industries. However, for him, it was another problem entirely.

If he was reading the head noble's thoughts, there was animosity towards Iwatobi. Iwatobi was protected, at best, by its royal guards, but they could do nothing against a full on attack from Samezuka's knights. Seijuurou knew this - he was captain of the largest section of knights under Mikoshiba.

The Mikoshiba knights easily doubled both Samezuka's and Nitori's knights. They were dominant on the tournament circuit as well, with their last season netting them numerous competition championships. He was proud of his knights; they were some of the best, if not _the_ best, swordsmen around.

"If we do not take matters into our own hands and become a trading power in our own right, Iwatobi will eventually cut us off and leave us to crumble in the desert," Samezuka insisted. "Just this year, their number of recruits have doubled what they were the year before. It is not farfetched to believe that they are reinstating their knightly tradition and will eventually phase us out. Once they do, there is nothing that will stop them from circumventing us completely from trade!"

"That is ridiculous-"

"It is a valid concern-"

The yelling of old nobles began once more and Seijuurou grit his teeth. Ever since the old head of the Duchy's lead family died, his overly eager grandson took his place and since then, he had implemented change after change. Additional taxes had been raised on imports, including a new tax on Iwatobi, which historically wasn't taxed nor taxed any imports from Samezuka.

He had heard that the merchants were angry about the tax, but they said it was temporary - just enough to work on an aqua duct from a kingdom that was further away than Iwatobi that still wasn't done. From what his father had told him, it was costing more than they initially thought as well, but Samezuka didn't want to argue with the other kingdom as they needed a source of water.

However, the entire city was based on a series of natural oasis. They practically littered the city, which allowed for it to be established in the first place. Therefore, why was an aqueduct, from a kingdom that wasn't historically their ally to begin with, even needed?

"This is pointless," he muttered under his breath. In the midst of the standing, arguing nobles, the Captain of the Mikoshiba Knights rose from his seat and easily slipped out.

The heavy wooden door closed behind him, effectively blocking out the sound of grown men and women bickering about whether or not their ally was still their ally. His bare hand subconsciously rested on the pommel of his sword and tightened his grip.

He refused to believe that Iwatobi would be an enemy. All three noble families of the Duchy had descended from Iwatobi. They had been allies for as long as he could remember. Numerous citizens from each country lived in the other.

He could think of one right off the top of his head.

"Captain Mikoshiba," one of Samezuka knights greeted him as the two that flanked the main entrance of the castle bowed their heads respectfully to the higher ranking male.

Seijuurou gave them a small nod of his head, but continued out in silence. One of the squires saw him emerge at the top of elaborate stairs and quickly rushed off to fetch his horse.

As the knight waited, he lifted his head and looked up at the sky. His lips pursed into a frown once more. Orange fading into an inky indigo-purple meant that his day was pretty much over. He'd missed afternoon training...and for what? A pointless discussion that sounded more like a reason to turn against neighboring Iwatobi than it was to discuss recent merchant concerns, as he had been initially led to believe.

"Captain, your horse," a young man greeted as he extended the reins to the older man.

Seijuurou gave him a nod before taking the leather reins in his hand. "Thank you," he said curtly. He mounted the black and white horse and headed towards the castle gates. His leisurely pace began to quicken and before he even realized it, he was galloping towards the citadel at the edge of the city.

Silently, he hoped that the tension and the rumors hadn't spread through the ranks yet. He was sure there was one particular knight that wouldn't be pleased with them.

The captain tightened his hold on the reins as he slowed the gallop to a trot upon reaching the citadel gates. Various knights still in training clothes and some still in armor were loitering the main courtyard, but it was obvious that the afternoon training had concluded.

"Captain Mikoshiba, I can take your horse!" a voice piped from his left.

He turned his head and saw a young man in dirt matted clothes march towards him. His light gray hair was still damp and partially stuck to his head from wearing a helmet and his sword was hanging at his left side.

"Nitori," he greeted with a small nod. "Where is Matsuoka?"

"Rin?" Nitori's eyes lit up and Seijuurou silently congratulated himself for picking the correct person to ask. Nitori shared a room with Rin, but also seemed to always know where the foreign born knight always was. This was probably due to his adoration of the taller, highly skilled man. "He said he was going to take a short ride."

The captain narrowed his eyes. "Did he say when he was returning?"

"No, Captain."

Of course Rin wouldn't. "I won't need you take my horse, Nitori. Continue as you were," he ordered before turning away and tugging the horse's reins. He easily headed out of the citadel, once more hoping that the rumors of Iwatobi turning against them - or vice versa, as he felt from that meeting, hadn't reached the younger knight.

He galloped down the road that lead further out, towards the western dunes. No one could say that he didn't know his knights.

It didn't take him long to find the lone male sitting atop one of the many sand dunes with a horse lazily standing beside him. His loose training clothes were billowing in the wind and the end of the cloth of his turban had come out from where it had been tucked.

Seijuurou shook his head. The wind would pick up soon and the sand would start to fly. Still, Rin didn't look like he was ready to move as he watched the sun set in the horizon...in same direction as his home kingdom was.

Rather than disturb the sharp-toothed knight, the captain waited one dune over until Rin finally rose to his feet beneath a blanket of stars. As he mounted his horse he made out his superior.

"You are allowed to take time off and visit, you know," Seijuurou told him as Rin slowly approached. "You haven't gone back since you arrived with us all those years ago."

"I was only watching the sunset," Rin replied gruffly. "That's all, Captain."

"I didn't see you as the romantic type," Seijuurou raised a brow. "You are not a prisoner here, Matsuoka," he told him firmly before riding ahead. "You are free to visit your home kingdom once in a while!"

Rin stayed quiet. It wasn't that simple. The captain simply didn't understand.

* * *

"I don't understand why the royal guard couldn't do this," Haruka's lackadaisical voice said as his horse clopped beside Makoto's. They were on the right side of a small carriage while Nagisa sat on the driver's bench, steering the horses pulling them.

"Because it is an order from Captain Sasabe. These are knights' weapons and spare parts, and we need to take them directly to the smith's for repairs," Makoto reminded him. "We also have to go in order to get our measurements taken for our new armor."

Haruka perked up for just a moment. "New armor...," he muttered softly.

Suddenly, the pace of his horse picked up and Makoto chuckled. Every few years, they'd take worn weapons that needed more than just a sharpening to a particular smith in Samezuka. Captain Sasabe boasted that it was a sign of trust they had in the Duchy.

"Ah, I can see the western gate!" Nagisa piped as he squinted. "Mako, do you have the paperwork?"

"I have it ready," the older male assured him as his horse caught up with the front of the carriage. He gently patted the area where some papers were slipped between his inner tunic and over robes.

"We didn't need to have them before," Haru said.

"Yes, but Samezuka's new head wanted to document all those who entered. Even Iwatobi citizens," Makoto sighed. He didn't really understand either, but the rules were rules.

"They'll want to check the carriage, too," Nagisa piped as they finally reached the brick lined road that lead into the city. Numerous attendants were running around, checking all the new arrivals.

"That's fine. Just pull over there," Makoto instructed. "One of the attendants and guards will come to us. Once we get our papers stamped, we'll go through."

"Okay!" Nagisa agreed. He skillfully led the them to the side of the road and waved his arm in the air in order to get the attention of one of the attendants. He saw one nod back to him and lower his arm. "They'll be here soon."

"Great," Makoto said as he dismounted. He handed Haruka the reins of his horse as he went in the small, old carriage and unlocked the door. "Let me make sure nothing fell and everything is in order."

He flipped up a metal latch and pulled the door open.

"Eeeh! Finally!" A small burst of warm air came from the door as someone gasped, welcoming the fresh air into the small cabin.

Haruka's eyes widened as Nagisa jumped from the driver's seat and darted around. A sharp gasp escaped the youngest knight as peered into the carriage and saw two, wide burgundy eyes looking back at him.

Makoto's mouth nearly dropped.

"Gou!?" two voices choked out as a slender young woman seemed to hop out of the small carriage and look around. She was covered in a worn looking brown robe that covered her head and would shield her pale skin from the harsh desert sun...not that it needed to, as she had been hidden inside the entire time.

From the strips of cloth they could seek peeking from beneath her robe and her fine sandals, she was still wearing her priestess clothes underneath. Makoto stared at her in disbelief.

"Are we there yet?" she asked, her eyes darting around excitedly. She expected dusty streets filled with people, a busy market place, the scent of saffron over the shouts of merchants calling people into their shops. Her face fell as she found herself still on the desert road, in front of a large entry gate that led into the city.

"Gou!" Makoto nearly wailed. "What are you doing here!? What were you doing in there!?"

"I didn't know you were coming, too!" Nagisa piped from the driver's seat.

"She wasn't supposed to come," Haruka told him calmly, not taking his eyes off the priestess. "She snuck inside."

The young priestess gave them a hopeful smile. "You wouldn't have taken me if I asked, so when I heard that you were coming here, I snuck inside."

"When did you do that?" Makoto asked. They had left before the dawn broke.

"Early this morning...maybe late last night," she admitted sheepishly.

"I'm impressed. We didn't know you were inside at all!" Nagisa told her.

"Don't praise her for that," Haruka said. "Gou, does anyone at the temple know you're here?"

Her eyes darted guiltily to the side once more. "You know if they did, they wouldn't let me come."

"Well, there isn't anything we can do now," Nagisa acknowledged. He glanced at Makoto. "Gou can just stay with us and then when we go home tomorrow, she'll come back."

"Tomorrow?" Gou looked utterly disappointed. "You're leaving _tomorrow_?"

"We just came to drop off some equipment and get measurements done," Makoto told her. "It won't take more than a an hour or two. We'll spend the night and then head back in the morning."

Her head dropped as her shoulders slumped. That didn't give her much time, then.

"Good afternoon, sirs!" a voice greeted.

"Ah," Makoto whirled around, immediately slipping between the approaching men and Gou as he reached into his pocket. "Good afternoon."

"Your paperwork?"

"Here you go." The smiling knight handed them the documents. The attendant reviewed it as he circled the carriage and peered inside.

"Everything seems in order, but...it says there are three of you," he trailed off as he lifted his head. He narrowed his eyes. "There are four."

Gou inwardly grimaced. She looked up, unsure how to explain how she had run away from the temple and crossed part of a desert to get there, then, Haruka unexpectedly spoke up.

"I was asked to join just before we left and was told that I could get an entry pass at the gate," he told the attendant calmly. "As we'll be here for less than a day - we'll be leaving tomorrow morning - a temporary entry pass will be enough."

Gou stared at him wondrously and silently thanked him before turning back to the attendant, wondering if he'd buy the explanation.

"Of course," he nodded. "We have one for one to three days and then one for a week." She was almost surprised it was so easy. "I'll get you the one to three days stamp and be right back."

Haruka gave him a nod of his head. "Thank you." The two walked away with their documents to get the approval stamps and Gou bowed her head.

"Thank you, Haru!"

"Only this once," he told her. She nodded her head as she continued to bow.

"You can get back into the carriage now, Gou," Nagisa said. "We'll be going through soon." Excited, the young priestess nodded her head and climbed back into the small carriage. She somehow managed to find a seat amongst the chipped weapons and rusted, abused armor.

Makoto pinned the curtains back to let in some air before closing the door. Once they received their papers, they headed inside and Gou craned her neck out the window to try to take everything in.

The bustle of the crowds were exactly as she expected. Everything seemed much more chaotic than it did back in Iwatobi, but she loved it! She could smell delicious food in the air and somewhere, there was music. Her small hands gripped the window frame as she tried to engrain the streets into her head.

As they turned the corner, she noticed a large fortified castle-like building that jutted outside the city walls. Her eyes widened as she saw the several men in light armor and turbans lined by the entrance.

"Mako! Haru! What's that!?" she asked eagerly as she squeezed her arm out the window and pointed.

"The Samezuka Duchy's knight's citadel," Makoto said.

"The citadel...," Gou bit her lower lip as her eyes lingered on it's gate. That was where her brother was. She drew her head back and began to formulate a plan. First, however, she needed to slip away from the knights.

It didn't take long for them to reach the smith and as Nagisa and Haruka tied up the horses, Makoto opened the door for her and ushered her out.

"Alright, this won't take long," Makoto told her as he stood by the door and began reaching in to gather some weapons that needed some mending. "We'll take our measurements, drop these off, and then head to the inn for the night."

"Which inn?" Gou asked. She stood beside him, clutching the front of her dull brown, hooded robe closed as she took a small step back.

"It's down the street," he replied distractedly. "Nagisa will go confirm the rooms for us while Haruka and I take care of these," Makoto said as he lifted up an arm load of weapons.

"Gou, stay here and don't wander off," Haruka told her as he reached inside the carriage to gather a few more things. "Samezuka is a busy city and you can get lost easily."

She obediently nodded as Haruka disappeared into the shop. As Makoto returned outside, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the spot where Gou had been.

"Gou?" he called weakly, already knowing he wouldn't receive an answer.

"What's wrong?" Haruka asked. He followed Makoto's horrified gaze. "Oh."

The young Water God's priestess had vanished.

* * *

Making her way through the desert city was a bigger task than she thought. She could feel her sweat collecting against her skin beneath her robe as she finally reached the gates of the citadel. Beyond its gates, she heard shouting - strict orders just above the sound of metal hitting metal.

She almost couldn't contain herself. Just beyond those gates was her older brother. Her footsteps quickened as she approached gate. Of the men standing, guarding the entrance, one stepped forward.

"I'm sorry, miss, but this is the citadel," he told her. "I'm afraid civilians cannot enter."

Undeterred, Gou stood her ground. "I'm looking for my brother," she told him confidently. "His name is Matsuoka Rin."

The knight guarding the entrance narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid that they are in the middle of training right now, miss. You'll have to return on visitation days. You can visit your brother then."

Her eyes widened. "Visitation _days_!?" she stressed. No, that was impossible. She didn't have time to wait - she was leaving in the morning! As large as Samezuka was, she was sure that Makoto and the others would find her and drag her back before the sun rose, whether she found her brother or not.

"It's in two days."

The color drained from her face. She most definitely did not have two days. "No," Gou shook her head. "You have to let me in today! I traveled all the way from Iwatobi-"

He gave her a deadpan look. "That's hardly a long ways from here."

"But I'm only here for today! We're leaving tomorrow!" Gou pleaded. "I may never have another chance to come back! Please, I just want to see my brother!"

"I'm sorry-"

"Please!"

"Miss, if you do not leave of your own will, I will have to have someone escort you out," she was told firmly.

Gou's hands clenched her robes. Behind the guarding knight, the other men who were at their posts began to move forward. She grit her teeth. What did they think she was going to do? Rush in? She was a priestess! She didn't stand a chance against four highly trained men. As reluctant as she was, she knew she wouldn't get in.

She lowered her head and nodded. "Can you at least give him a message for me?" she asked.

As if knowing that would placate her, the guard nodded. "Yes, miss."

"Tell him to visit," she said in a soft voice. Her eyes crinkled up and the man in front of her started to feel guilty. "I miss him. We all do..."

She trailed off and turned around, tightening her hold on her outer robes as she seemed to drag herself away, defeated. The knight raised his hand to call her back, but let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head. Now he felt _really_ guilty.

In silence, Gou seemed to drift back up the street, blindingly heading up the path from where she had came to get to the smith's forge. She had made sure to remember the name of the forge in case she got lost, but even if she knew where she was going, the disappointment that lingered in the pit of her stomach was still tugging at her.

She was not going to cry. She was _not going to cry_. Who cares if she had disobeyed the temple rules and sneaked out? What does it matter that she suffered through the heat in silence inside the carriage for hours just to be turned away when she finally reached her destination?

Gou held back a small sob. Who cares if she didn't see her brother again? It had been several years already. He never even made an effort to come visit them after he left for that tournament and never returned.

She leaned against a brick building and lifted her shaking hands to her eyes. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands roughly as she tried her best to keep a cry in. She didn't want to get to the inn and have Makoto and the others see her as she was.

"Stupid Rin!" she choked out. If only he had visited. If only he had sent letters! Maybe then she wouldn't be so worried about him.

"Excuse me," a voice said above her. "Are you alright?"

With her eyes still moist and sniffling, Gou's head shot up and saw a man standing a few paces from her with a concerned expression on his face. His unruly orange hair was pushed back and his clothes were neat. She could make out his nicely tanned skin, meaning he spent a lot of the time outdoors.

Her eyes then landed on the sword at his side. Civilians didn't carry such swords...only those in the military. "Only knights..."

He cocked his head to the side and extended his hand. A small white and black embroidered piece of cloth was offered to her. "Miss?" he asked once more, taking a small step forward. "Are you alright?" he repeated.

He was offering her a handkerchief, she realized. Flushing, she remembered her state and quickly straightened up. One hand continued to wipe at her face as the other graciously accepted the cloth.

"Yes, I'm fine," she assured him, though she acknowledged the tears on her face and her red eyes probably said otherwise. "I'm just...the heat," she offered lamely. "I'm not used to it."

"Ah," he let out a small chuckle. "So you're a visitor. Are you lost?"

"No," Gou replied automatically. She looked around as she finished wiping her eyes. It was almost dark now, but she was sure she knew where she was. "I'm just returning to the inn." She tensed. "Where my friends are waiting and expecting me," she added.

On a darkening street in a foreign place, alone and crying was not the best place for a young priestess who hardly went anywhere without an escort.

"Which inn?" the tall man asked. "I will escort you."

Were Makoto, Haruka, and Nagisa really waiting for her or did they perhaps leave to scour the city? If she reached the inn without them, what if this strange man tried something. All she had was a ceremonial dagger and she wasn't exactly the most proficient at it. In retrospect, as the priestess who blessed the guards and knights of Iwatobi, she really should've practiced it more.

With the hesitation on her face, the man jerked his head back and immediately stepped away. He raised his hands in the air, as if to show he meant her no harm.

"I didn't mean to imply anything lewd, of course! I would never!" he stammered as his face turned a slight rust color. "Not to say that I'm not attracted to you, because I am!" Her eyes went wide and he wanted to slam his head against the wall. "I mean, you're cute! Beautiful, even!" Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that the hole he was digging was getting bigger and deeper every time he opened his mouth. "I mean...ugh...!" He let out a groan and turned to the side of the building.

He rested his arm on it and buried his face against it, mortified.

Quietly, Gou took a step back, her eyes darting around suspiciously. Perhaps she shouldn't talk to the awkward man any more. "Uh...thank you for this," she said as she pinched the handkerchief between two fingers and seemed to offer it back to him. "I'll be going now."

He paled. "Wait!" he said. "I'm sorry, if I offended you," he said, not bothering to take back what he had given her. "I thought you needed help," he explained. "My name is Mikoshiba Seijuurou," he offered as Gou turned around and began to walk away. "If you're lost, I can help! I'm the captain of the Mikoshiba knights of Samezuka!"

She immediate stopped in mid step. Her head snapped back as her eyes narrowed. "Knights of Samezuka?" she asked warily.

His face lit up and he nodded. "Yes, I'm the -

"Captain Mikoshiba, good evening!" a voice cut between them. The man beside her immediately stood up straight, his shoulders back and his chin up, as he turned and curtly greeted two men in light armor and with swords at their hips.

"Sir Nitori, Sir Tanaka," he greeted in return, his voice somewhat deeper and more serious than it had been just a few moments earlier with her. "Continue with your patrol."

"Yes, Captain!" they saluted him before continuing to pass.

Gou eyed them. They seemed legitimate, having been dressed similar to the guard who had turned her away at the citadel. Her eyes turned back to the man in front of her. He, however, looked far too well dressed for a knight.

"My apologies if I scared you," he told her, somewhat embarrassed. "You seemed troubled. If you wish, I'll be on my way, as long as you assure me that you are indeed alright."

She was, but now she was curious. "Do you know a Matsuoka Rin?" she asked suddenly.

His eyes widened and he jerked his head, taken aback by her sudden question. "Matsuoka Rin?" he repeated. "Tall, unruly hair...good with a sword?" With each word Gou seemed more and more interested. "And from Iwatobi?"

"Yes!" she clasped her hands together and seemed to jump forward. "You do know him!"

She looked so excited, Seijuurou felt part of him die a little inside. So, this lovely young woman was there for Rin. Of course, she was. Rin was oddly popular for someone who had sharp teeth and an even sharper tongue.

"He is a knight in my squad and very capable," he told her. Oh well, the least he could do was make Rin look good to this admirer.

"Is he alright?" the young woman asked. "Is he eating well? He hasn't been injured, has he?"

Seijuurou raised a brow. "He's one of the best swordsmen we have. He does eat well and no, I don't believe he's ever been seriously injured." A pale hand rose and rested against her chest. He could now see the gold rings and blue stones adorning her fingers and wrists.

"Oh, thank the gods," she sighed, relieved. "I tried to see him today, but I wasn't allowed in the citadel."

"Visitation days are in two days-"

"But I'm leaving tomorrow," she told him quickly. Her eyes lowered. "I just wanted to see him...he never writes me back."

"Writes you...?" Rin had a lover in back in Iwatobi? Why in the world didn't that arrogant little fool travel back then? The young woman nodded once more. Seijuurou shook his head. "I'm sorry, but even if you had been allowed in, you wouldn't have seen him."

Her brows furrowed and looked at him, shocked. "What?"

"Matsuoka is currently stationed and on duty today. He wasn't at training in the citadel," he informed her.

Another defeated blow hit her. "I see...," she muttered numbly. Her effort would've been useless to begin with.

"How do you know him?" the captain asked carefully. He steeled himself for the answer.

"Rin is my older brother," came a quiet, unexpected response. Seijuurou's head snapped up. "I came all this way to see him. I haven't seen him since he left Iwatobi..."

"And he never visits," Seijuurou concluded. Gou nodded. So, she was his little sister.

"I don't know how else to see him. I can't stay here. I'm leaving tomorrow at first light," she said. She looked at the man earnestly. "Isn't there something you can do? You're the captain, aren't you?"

She was looking at him with large, expectant, glistening eyes...

Before he could stop himself, he spoke. "What do you suggest?"

Gods help him, he was so weak.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Makoto groaned as he rushed out into the street. Haruka crossed paths with him and shook his head, as if to confirm that they couldn't find their stowaway priestess. "Gou! Where is she!?"

"I checked the plaza and couldn't find her. No one has seen her, either!" Nagisa reported breathlessly as he reached them from another direction.

"I think we should return to the inn," Haruka suggested. "She may have come back."

"Nagisa, you go back," Makoto ordered. "Haruka and I will keep looking. You go and wait to see if Gou returns to the inn."

"Okay!" Nagisa said as he saluted the higher ranked knight and prepared to dart back.

"Wait," Haruka said suddenly, stopping the youngest knight in his tracks. His eyes were fixed up the street from where he had come. His blue eyes slowly narrowed. "Perhaps _he's_ seen her."

Makoto turned around and Nagisa squinted into the night. A horse was heard coming down the stone lined street and they could make out a tall figure seated atop it.

"Oi," a gruff voice said as shocks of burgundy hair fell over narrowed eyes. "What are you three doing here?"

"Rin," Haruka said in a low voice. His hand moved across his body and hovered over the pommel of his sword.

The estranged knight's eyes followed his movement and his lips pulled into a smirk. He slid off his horse and reached to his side. The sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath sounded and Makoto frowned.

"You two," he began as he moved forward to get between them.

The blades were drawn and Nagisa looked nervous. "Let's go," Rin grinned. "Haru."

* * *

**A Note From the Author:**

Hello! I'm just posting this fanfic here, as I've posted it on AO3, but had yet to put it here. I will continue to update AO3 and FF accounts with the story, though AO3 will probably get this first. My other fanfic gets updated here first, so I thought it fair.

Here are some notes that I had on the original -

Accressere is a term from Middle Ages Italian and is a movement used in sword fighting; it is a small step forward taken to close distance between yourself and your opponent. Recently, I've been chatting with someone about swords and thought it would be interesting to retell the Free! story, but in a time of knights and with a focus on SeiGou, though the other pairings will be mentioned. Thus, this was born. I do write very long chapters and the development is always rather slow, so I am very thankful for your patience. Thank you to damagectrl for your help and thank you for your time reading this!

Thank you for your time and for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Accressere**

Chapter 2

by MiaVortice

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

"Haru, sheath it," Makoto insisted. "Rin-"

"You're not my captain, Makoto," the dark-maroon-haired man said, his eyes never leaving Haruka. "Don't tell me-"

"We're in the middle of a street! This is no place for a fight!" Makoto cut him off firmly. "And Haru," he said, turning to the shorter man. "We don't have time for this! We're still looking for Gou, remember?"

"Gou?" Rin's arms lowered and his posture relaxed. Were they talking about his sister? "What do you mean?"

"Gou ran off and we can't find her," Nagisa stated the obvious.

"What do you mean you can't find her?" Rin growled. Iwatobi was a larger city, but Samezuka was completely foreign to her. How would she know where she was going? What if something happened to her? "What is she even doing here!? She's a priestess!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, so you knew that," Haruka muttered, still keep in his guard stance.

"We didn't bring her along," Makoto tried to explain. "She sneaked into a carriage holding equipment we were bringing to the smith-"

"And you didn't notice!?" Rin demanded. A harsh glare filled his face. "What kind of knights are you!?"

"She sneaked into our carriage without us knowing," Haruka stated. Makoto mentally groaned. That was not something to be proud of.

"What!?" Rin growled, his face turning red.

"Ne...never mind that right now!" Nagisa pleaded as he rushed between the two. "Gou is still missing and we're leaving at first light!"

Rin grit his teeth together "Tch." He lifted his arms and sheathed his blade back to his side. "I just pulled a two day long shift at the eastern point," he snorted as he took a step back. "I don't have time for this. I have to get back to the citadel."

He turned around and walked back to his horse. "Rin, we can use the extra set of eyes," Makoto told him calmly. "Gou could be anywhere."

"She is an Iwatobi citizen and I am a Samezuka knight!" he shouted, making the other three freeze in their spots. Rin grabbed the reins of his horse and gripped the saddle, pulling himself on to it. "She is not my concern," he ended.

Nagisa's eyes saddened as he watched Rin jerk the horse's head away and slowly begin to ride off. "Rin..."

The sound of a sword sliding back into its sheath reached him and he turned around. Haruka lifted his hands off of his sword's grip.

"Let's go back to the inn," he said.

"But what about Rin?" Nagisa asked quietly.

Haruka paused for a brief moment. "What is important now is finding Gou. We only have a few hours left."

Nagisa looked at Makoto unsurely, but the older knight only nodded. "We'll check the inn and if she's not there, we'll keep looking. If we can't find her by morning, we'll need to ask for help."

The youngest member kicked the ground half-heartedly as he followed behind him. "It's been a long time since we've see him. He could've at least stayed to find Gou."

"Who's to say that he isn't?" Haruka said ahead of him. The brunette kept his eyes forward. "The citadel is west of here. He went in the other direction."

Nagisa's eyes widened and he looked at Makoto once more. A small, please smile graced the green-eyed man's lips.

"She is still his little sister, you know." Nagisa beamed and nodded enthusiastically.

The trio headed towards the inn. It was late, but there were still several patrons in the ground floor pub. Makoto scanned the sparse crowd and let out a gasp.

"Gou!" he called out. Nagisa and Haruka followed his line of vision and made out a frumpy brown-robed figure sitting in the corner. She was yawning and looked as if she were trying to stay awake. Cupped in her other hand was a small cup of room temperature tea.

"Eh?" She squinted in their direction. "Mako? Haru? Nagisa?" It was about time. She had arrived what felt like ages ago and already had dinner.

"Gou! You made it back!" Nagisa seemed to fly across the pub floor and nearly rammed into her as he threw his arms around her and gave her a firm hug. "We thought you were lost!"

"We went to look for you," Haruka informed her. He tilted his head to the side slightly. "Where did you go?"

"First, are you alright?" Makoto asked as he knelt down beside her. He lifted his hand and moved the hood of her robe back. His eyes narrowed and seemed to scan her face for any sign of dishevelment or disarray that could mean she had faced trouble. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Gou let out a heavy breath. "I'm fine."

He frowned and drew back. "Gou, we told you to stay by the carriage," he told her, disappointed. The young priestess drew her head back and lowered her eyes. Makoto was always so patient, he never scolded her. "You could've gotten lost or in trouble!"

"I know, I know," Gou admitted. Her hands gripped her small cup. "But I wanted to see my brother!" She lifted her head and looked at him imploringly. "I only had today, Makoto! I had to go!"

"You went to the citadel?" Nagisa asked, looking surprised. "Why didn't you wait for us?"

"We could've taken you," Makoto told her. "That's a long ways from here."

"I memorized the name of the smith and I knew where the inn was from there," Gou insisted. "I would've found my way back."

"You should've told us," Makoto took a seat beside her and leaned forward on his arms. "We were worried. We ran through half the city looking for you."

"I'm sorry," Gou said. "I just wanted to see him and I didn't know when I'd have a chance like this again, so I went." Nagisa patted her on the shoulder understandingly.

"He wasn't at the citadel," Haruka said suddenly. Gou opened her mouth to tell them that she knew, when his words made her realize something else.

"How did you know that?" she asked as she gripped the edge of the wooden table.

"We saw him," Nagisa answered before the other two could. Gou took a sharp breath and turned to him.

"What? Where?" she demanded as she rose to her feet. She looked back towards the door, as if expecting him to appear. "Is he here?"

"He was on his way back to the citadel after the end of a post," Haruka told her.

"We ran into him while we were searching for you," Makoto told her. The young woman's eyes crinkled up as she realized her brother wasn't going to come walking through the door.

Nagisa bit his lower lip as he saw the expression on her face. "But we think he went to look for you, too!"

"What?" Gou turned back to him, confused.

"When we told him we were looking for you, he turned around. He stopping going towards the citadel," Makoto told her. "We can't be sure, but he was worried, too."

Slowly, she returned to her seat. Her saddened eyes looked at the wooden table where she had been waiting for the three to return.

Haruka tilted his head to the side. "Gou," he began. "Do you want to go to the citadel tomorrow? Before we leave?"

She drew her lips back and slowly shook her head. "Brother won't be there," she admitted as she lifted her head. "After his post today, I was told that he would get another two day post at the western point."

Makoto and Haruka exchanged silent looks. Carefully, Makoto looked back at Gou. "Who told you that?"

"His captain," Gou said. "Miko...something."

Makoto's eyes widened. "Mikoshiba?"

"Yes, I think so," she nodded. She crinkled her eyes. "So, he was telling the truth. He really is the captain?"

"The Mikoshiba family is one of the three noble families of Samezuka," Haruka explained as he lifted a hand to request his own cup of tea. "One of the family's sons is the current captain of the Mikoshiba branch of the Samezuka Knights."

Slowly, Gou's face seemed to light up. Her mouth opened, gasping as her eyes widened. She grabbed Nagisa's arm and squeezed it, suddenly ecstatic.

"Then he _was_ telling the truth!" She hadn't been completely convinced, even after those two knights had greeted the tall, orange haired man. To her, he had seemed too young and too well dressed to be a knight, even if he did carry a military issue sword.

"Did you run into Captain Mikoshiba?" Nagisa asked. Gou nodded enthusiastically.

"I didn't believe him at first. He wasn't in armor or training clothes, so I didn't think he was really a knight, but being a nobleman explains that," Gou rambled. "He said he knew Rin and when I asked if there was something he could do, he said he'd see if he can get a small team to make a trip to Iwatobi!"

"Gou," Makoto cocked his head to the side. "When did you meet Captain Mikoshiba?"

"This evening," she explained earnestly. "I was walking back and..." She paused and decided not to tell them he had found her crying on the street. "He noticed I was a foreigner and asked if I needed any help. I asked if he knew my brother and he said he did! He also escorted me here."

Makoto looked relieved. "It's good that Captain Mikoshiba ran into you, then." He made a mental note to send the captain his thanks for aiding one of their own.

Haruka seemed to focus on something else Gou had said. "Rin is coming to Iwatobi?"

Gou nodded. "His captain said he would try!"

Makoto noticed Haruka's hand return to the pommel of his sword and rest there. Haruka could almost taste the feeling of sword against sword once more.

"Good."

* * *

He couldn't get over the fact that they were so poor a knights that they had allowed one priestess to sneak into their cargo and cross an actual desert to Samezuka without them knowing. How dare they call themselves knights like him!

The desert was a harsh place to cross and as a priestess, Gou wasn't used to travel. What if she had gotten heat exhaust? Or fainted? They would never have known!

Rin grit his teeth as his hands tightened on the reins of the horse he was leading down the street. He didn't want to admit it, but he was looking for her. What was she even doing in Samezuka, anyway? Had she lost her mind? Sneaking along with those three, what reason would she have...

His feet stopped and he found himself staring at the ground. What other reason did she have to come to Samezuka, but to see him? His chest tightened. This was his fault.

Rin shut his eyes and tried to fight down the guilt that arose with that realization. How many years had it been since he visited? He didn't answer her letters or send anything. Every now and then, he sent a note to his mother, but never to Gou.

Part of him didn't understand why she still cared after his silence towards her. He hadn't even gone to her priestess induction ceremony. The day of, he had been training for a tournament and hadn't mentioned it to anyone. Had she looked through the crowds for him? Was she devastated when he wasn't there?

"You little ass!" Rin's head shot up, but not before a sharp pain came down behind his knee, sending him to the ground along with a light, but still somewhat painful, punch to the stomach.

"Ugh!" He grit his teeth as he landed on his hands and knees, automatically releasing his horse. One hand rose and moved over his stomach as he let out a cough and lifted his head up. "Why you-" His mouth immediately snapped closed as he saw the tall, orange-haired man standing above him. He shouldn't have been surprised; there were few that could get the jump on him and that man was one of them. "Captain!"

"What kind of a brother are you?" Seijuurou growled as he towered above the younger knight with his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Never answering her letters, let alone visiting her!"

"What?" Rin crinkled his eyes. He shakily rose to his feet, silently hating that his captain was so strong as he knock the wind out of him so suddenly. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Priestess Kou!"

Rin narrowed and shook his head. "Priestess Kou...?" His eyes widened. "You mean Gou!?"

"No, I mean Priestess Kou," Seijuurou replied sharply. "I would think that you know your own sister's name!"

Rin gave his captain a disbelieving look. "Her birth name is Kou, but everyone calls her Gou. It's more masculine and it suits her, even as a priestess," he argued stubbornly.

"What?" Seijuurou's eyes widened a bit, surprised at the statement. He had seen Rin's sister and she looked anything but masculine. "Have you been away from her for so long that you don't even know how she looks like?"

"I haven't been away-"

"She says she hasn't seen you since you left Iwatobi," the orange-haired man cut off firmly. "Matsuoka, I told you that you are not a prisoner here and can leave-"

"Wait a moment, Captain-"

"Request denied."

"I am off duty right now, sir-"

"You are a knight of Samezuka," Seijuurou corrected him firmly. His eyes narrowed. "You may be off duty, but am still _your captain_." Rin grit his teeth and clenched his fists at his sides.

"Captain Mikoshiba," he began, more careful this time. "How did you know about my situation with my sister?"

Seemingly pleased that he was acknowledging it, the senior knight lifted his chin. "I was on my way back to the citadel from a meeting with my family elders when I ran into your sister. She said she only had a day here and had gone to the citadel to look for you."

Amber eyes kept on burgundy ones to watch for any change of reaction. "I was on duty elsewhere," Rin's solemn voice muttered.

"I am aware," Seijuurou answered. "She asked about coming in the morning."

Rin's head shot up. "I'm leaving before day break for another two day shift-"

"Once again, Matsuoka, I am aware," the older man cut him off. "She will not have a chance to see you this time and I told her so."

"When did this happen?" Rin narrowed his eyes. Before he could stop himself, he continued out. "I was told she was lost. Is she alright? Where is she?"

"You should've asked that first," Seijuurou chided. He looked ahead tossed the reins he had held to stop the horse from wandering off back at Rin as he stepped past the younger knight and began down the road. "I escorted her to an inn."

Despite having known the integrity of his captain for quite some time, Rin couldn't hold back the immediate thought that Captain Mikoshiba had taken advantage of his innocent little sister. His face flushed red with fury and he opened his mouth to swear at the other man's back, when Seijuurou lifted a hand to silence him.

"She's cute, Matsuoka, but not so cute that I'd lose my mind and and sink to such a level as what you're imagining," he replied, almost amused. Rin glared even harder. "She said her friends would be there initially, but if she was lost, it explains why they weren't. They must've been out looking for her." He paused in mid step and looked over his shoulder. "Come to think of it, this is out of the way from the usual road that goes from the eastern point to the citadel." Rin looked away. "You were also looking for her," the captain concluded.

"I ran into her 'friends' on my way back," Rin stated. He met Seijuurou's eyes. "She's still my sister, Captain."

"I understand, Matsuoka." Seijuurou looked forward once more. "Did you want to go to the inn to see her?"

The thought, surprisingly, did intrigue him for a moment, but his head prevailed over the pain in his chest. "No," he stated as he quickened his speed. "I don't have long before the day break and I should rest. An unrested knight is weak one."

"So he is," Seijuurou agreed. "You will be pleased to know, however, that your sister is safe. I paid for her meal and instructed Himura of the inn to insure her safety. He is to report if she is aggravated by anyone."

It eased the ex-patriot's heart just a bit. "Thank you, Captain."

Seijuurou nodded. "As your superior, my duty is not only to ensure the well-being of your body, but your mind and spirit, as well." He didn't look back as he continued. "You're an excellent knight, Matsuoka. You are a gift with a sword, but if something is bothering you, it will affect your performance and the rest of the squad. If you are unable to fix that," he seemed to threaten. "I will."

* * *

"Lord Captain Mikoshiba," a middle aged man addressed him as he stepped outside the wooden doors of Lord Samezuka's study. "The head will see you now."

Armor rustled as Seijuurou relaxed his posture and uncrossed his arms. He gave the Samezuka head's secretary a bow of his head. "Thank you, sir," he replied respectfully. "And please, I am on duty and seeing the head as a knight. My noble title is not necessary."

"Of course, my young lord." One day, Seijuurou told himself, they would not have to repeat that usual conversation.

The secretary held the door open as the tall male walked into the chamber. The head of Samezuka, though a good decade or so older than him, rose and gave a bow his of his head to the armor clad man. "Captain Mikoshiba," he greeted as the door closed. "Thank you for coming to see me."

"You summoned me, sir," Seijuurou nodded. "In regards to my request of bringing a few of my last tournament winners to Iwatobi."

"Yes," Samezuka smiled, pleased. He turned to his secretary lingering by the door. "Yamato, please give me a moment along with Captain Mikoshiba."

"Yes, Lord Samezuka." The captain waited a moment, until the secretary had left the room and the door closed securely behind him.

"Is there a concern with my request?" Seijuurou asked. "The council has already given its approval and I've already sent a request to Iwatobi and Captain Sasabe. I do not expect him him to decline our offer."

"Indeed, a two week long training session with the Iwatobi knights under the guise of preparing them for the tournament circuit is an offer that would be difficult to refuse," Samezuka smiled.

The corner of Seijuurou's eye twitched. "Under the guise of?" he repeated slowly. "What do you mean?"

Samezuka chuckled. "What real reason would a top ranked tournament team have to go and visit a group of knights that haven't been in a tournament in near a decade?" he pointed out. "This is about the rumors, isn't it?"

Seijuurou remained in his spot, hands clasped behind his back and standing at attention as he shook his head once. "I am afraid you are mistaken, Lord Samezuka. This has nothing to do with the rumors that have been circulating amongst the merchants and nobles on Iwatobi's amassing forces."

"Oh?" His superior's eyes narrowed. "What other reason could their be?"

"It was explained in my proposition. The younger knights have been interested in re-joining the tournament circuit." That was according to Priestess Kou, anyway. She had expressed much interest in the knights rejoining, but admitted that they were having a recruitment issue. "However, they lack recent guidance. As allies, we thought it best to offer some training in order to reacquaint them with the circuit."

"And that is an admirable excuse."

Seijuurou frowned. "It's not an excuse-"

"I needed access into their inner knight circles to assess the situation and confirm whether or not the rumors are founded," Samezuka informed him coolly. "And now I do."

"With all due respect, Lord Samezuka, my men and I are knights. We exist for physical combat, not intelligence gathering," the captain stated.

"I am not asking you to penetrate the deep recesses of their organization, Captain Mikoshiba," Samezuka assured him. "I am only asking you to confirm whether or not the rumors are true. As a knight, you know about the constant threat of war. Do you not want to confirm whether or not your country has reason to be worried?"

"Of course-"

"If the rumors are unfounded, Captain, then we have no reason to worry. An unpleasant situation will be avoided," Samezuka pointed out. "Isn't that reason enough so simply look over the military situation in Iwatobi? For the sake of quelling rumors and keeping peace?"

It was. From a logical, pragmatic point of view, it made sense to do so. However, he was still a knight. He wasn't trained to do such things in secrecy. Still, his duty as a knight required his loyalty to Samezuka and its people.

"Lord Samezuka, my men and I will not spy for you," he stated firmly. Samezuka opened his mouth, but Seijuurou cut him off. "However, if - and only if - we assess that there is indeed a hostile situation being created, we will inform the council immediately."

A wide smile graced the older man's face as he gave an approving nod. "Wonderful, Captain Mikoshiba. As always, we thank you for your service to our duchy. I will have Yamato release the travel funds and arrange for gifts to the royal family."

A small part of him couldn't shake off the irritation he felt, but he had his hands tied. Seijuurou lowered his head to accept the instructions. They weren't spying, he told himself. If something was wrong, then they'd speak out. If nothing was, as he expected, then there was no reason to be concerned.

"Is there anything else, Lord Samezuka?"

"No, Captain Mikoshiba," the older man's voice reached his ears. "And thank you, once again."

* * *

When his name was called as one of the knights who would be going to Iwatobi, Rin found himself unsurprised. Rather, as Captain Mikoshiba read the last name, staring directly at him instead of the sheet in his hand, Rin had been angry. His captain knew damn well he hadn't been visiting his home kingdom. Didn't he stop to think that there could've been a damn good reason why?

"I knew you'd be chosen to go, Sir Rin," his roommate seemed to gush. Across the small cell of a room they shared, Rin was sitting on the edge of his bed, running a sharpening stone down the false edge of his blade. "You bested several swordsmen during the last tournament season."

A small grunt of acknowledgement was heard, but Rin didn't look up from his sword. "They were new," he pointed out. There hadn't been any real challenges in that ring the last few tournaments, which had given him the opportunity to dominate. That was all.

"Do you think it will be colder by the ocean?" his gray-haired roommate asked curiously. "I have some thicker clothes, but I'm not sure how they'll fit beneath my armor."

"You normal clothes under armor will be fine. Even if it's colder, you'll be kept warm, anyway," Rin muttered in a low voice. He remembered those few winters it had gotten cold and in the end, he and the others had still grappled and fought in their gambestens and were dripping with sweat. The physical activity alone would keep them warm.

"What do the knights there wear, Sir Rin? Do you remember?" Of course he did. He hadn't been away for that long.

"Same as we have," he replied.

"Do you think they would be of any challenge?"

The scraping of the stone against the blade stopped. A challenge? In Iwatobi? Every muscle in his body wanted him to reply no. Of course there wasn't. Iwatobi had a middle-aged captain who was semi-retired. Makoto should've already taken over is what he personally thought.

Not that Makoto himself was the best knight, though his grappling abilities had never allowed Rin to triumph once. To him, the patient man simply had a way with people. Others subconsciously respected him and trusted him - he had leadership ability.

Then there was Nagisa. The skinny little child had been the last to join, but with daggers in his hands, Rin could see him easily gutting a man from neck to navel in one swift, simple move.

Despite their skills in those particular areas, what mattered most to him was their ability with a sword. While it was a knight's secondary weapon, he believed it to be the best and that the epitome of knightly skill was summarised only in one's ability with a sword. There was only one man in Iwatobi capable of that.

"Sir Rin?" Aiichirou asked as he turned around from where he was fixing a piece of Rin's armor plating. "Are you listening?"

A low voice answered him. "There is one," the man with the dark pink hair said as the sharpening stone ran down the true edge. Blue eyes and black hair, swift movements more fluid than the ocean at their shores. He was a natural talent coupled with hard work - not because he wished to improve, but because he enjoyed it. He loved the sword and it was a part of him. Rin's fellow knight almost didn't hear the name whispered from his lips. "Haruka."

Aiichirou chuckled and shook his head. "Really? That's a surprise. A Sir Haruka... Still, they haven't been in tournaments for years." A bitterness filled Rin's mouth at the reminder.

"They're out of shape," he muttered. They weren't used to fighting with others. They weren't used to other styles, or the speeds and abilities of other knights. They lacked a wide array of experience and it was a massive disadvantage compared to him.

"Yes," Aiichirou agreed. "I have no doubt that you'll best them easily." A movement caught his eye and the gray-haired knight watched as Rin stood up. He grabbed the sheath laying at the foot his bed and quickly slid his sword back into place. Aiichirou lowered the armor in his hand and began to raise. "Sir Rin-"

"I'm going for a walk," he told him curtly.

"I can come-"

"It's fine, Nitori." The door closed behind him and the gray-haired knight fell back into his seat.

* * *

"It's done!" Gou lifted a sheet of paper into the air, where she had written out her request to be submitted to the temple. She pushed her chair back and stood up. She had rarely asked for trips outside the temple recently; therefore, she was certain that the they would give her permission to.

She'd still have to be escorted, as she was one of only three priestesses and the youngest, but it didn't matter as long as she got to go back to the castle and see her brother. As blessing the knights and royal guard was her duty, she had no doubt that she'd be sent to welcome the Samezuka Knights.

What was important was afterwards. Typically, she'd be escorted back or, in the case of formal events, escorted to a dinner table in the royal banquet hall and required to sit solemnly and silently as her position dictated while visitors came to greet her. She would mostly say a few prayers for them or bless whatever trinkets they presented her with to be used as charms later, but it was a constant throng of people.

Gou never had time to simply sit with them and chat. If she were younger, she would've asked the temple to allow her personal time after the blessing, but she was experienced enough now to understand that she had a responsibility. She would sit through any banquets as she usually did, but on her free day, she would have time to see her brother.

Yes, that was her plan. A few details needed to be worked out, such as what kind of gift to give her brother, where they could go, what they should do, but she had time to figure that out later. She also needed to decide what she should present Captain Miko-something with as thanks for arranging the event.

Frankly, she hadn't fully believed he'd do it. Part of her hoped, of course. There was not much else she could do, but Gou was also prepared for the disappointment. That was why when Princess Hana told her that some knights from Samezuka were coming to re-introduce their knights to the tournament circuit, she had shaken her head in disbelief, refusing to get her hopes up, and said it was impossible.

But, the man had worked a miracle and had brought her brother back into her life, albeit forcibly. It would only be right to offer to bless his sword or give him some sort of gift as thanks.

"Oh...I should also pay him back for that meal," Gou said to herself as she stepped outside of her room. In Samezuka, he had escorted her to the inn and upon arriving, insisted that she eat, as the trip from the citadel must've made her tired. She had declined until her stomach let out an embarrassing growl.

Her face had flooded with color as her hands had wrapped around her stomach in an effort to muffle the noise. Captain Miko-something had merely chuckled and led her to a corner table. He'd waited with her until her food came and paid.

"_I'll have Mako pay for it!" _she had insisted when he reached for his money pouch. "_You've already done so much!"_

He had hesitated, but nodded and lowered his money pouch back to his side. After listening to her talk even more about her brother, he had excused himself and left. It wasn't until Makoto had tried to pay for the meal that she found out that the Captain had already covered it after he left the table. What a sly man...

Now, she had to pay him back, though that wasn't a problem. She had a living allowance from the temple and various patrons and patronesses did provide her with addition funds.

"Pay back whom for a meal?" a curious, amused voice asked. She stopped halfway down the hall and turned towards the voice.

A wide smile graced Gou's face as she automatically lowered her arms and bowed. "Good morning, Lady Amakata," the young priestess greeted as the older woman in long sleeved dressed walked towards her.

"Good morning, Priestess," the brown-haired noblewoman smiled. "You're certainly energetic this morning. I take it you heard about the Samezuka knights?"

"Hana told me the other day," Gou gushed excitedly, completely forgetting to put the title of Princess before her friend's name. "I've informed Mother and she said she'll make sure to send over some food my brother likes and will come to some of the exhibitions."

"And you?" the noblewoman chuckled. "You'll be attending some, as well, won't you?"

"Of course!" Gou nodded as she clutched her paper against her. "You must come, too, Lady Amakata."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" she assured the priestess confidently. "Why, I'd like to see the level of skill of these champion knights. Maybe they'll inspire those royal guards to become knights and we can finally develop a tournament team!"

Gou smiled weakly. She knew where this was going... "Nagisa is still working on finding recruits, Lady Amakata."

The noblewoman wrinkled her nose. "Yes, but he has yet to produce one. The tournament season will start soon and I want my team to be a well oiled weapon!" Her face darkened as she cupped her hands together in front of her. "Then that disrespectful little former fiancee and his trollop mistress can feel the humiliation I felt when-"

"I'm sure Makoto and the others will make them feel that way, Lady Amakata!" Gou loudly exclaimed as she took a step back. She offered the woman a smile as she let out an awkward laugh. "I need to go meet with the temple heads now in order to submit my request for personal leave."

"Oh yes, of course, of course," Lady Amakata dismissed cheerfully. "I'll see you at the exhibitions, my dear!" Gou bowed her head respectfully once more before darting off. The noble let out a content sigh. "Ah, to be young again..." Pleased that her favorite priestess was in high spirits, the brown-haired woman turned around and headed for the front of the temple.

Her daily trip there was complete and now she could return to her flat. As she neared the temple entrance, attendants who watched various cloaks and umbrellas for temple patrons greeted her with bows before presenting her with a breezy cloak and a sun umbrella.

As she stepped on to the top step of the temple, she pushed out her umbrella and adjusted it over her head.

"Ah! Lady Miho!" She tensed. "Good morning!" Amongst the few coming to the temple, it was a simple matter to spot the owner of the voice. His golden hair was shaved and he still had that ridiculous facial hair, not to mention that somewhat goofy look on his face that made him seem less respectable than he actually was.

Noble by birth, knight by choice, Captain Sasabe Goro bowed to her from the base of the steps. Politely, the noblewoman bowed back.

"Good morning, Captain Sasabe," she greeted curtly before continuing down the steps. She kept her eyes elsewhere, hoping to avoid eye contact and therefore, any sort of conversation with the man.

"Were you visiting Gou?" he asked. Somehow, he was suddenly beside her and she inwardly cringed as he attempted to escort her to the gate.

"Yes," she replied, so as not to be rude. "The Priestess Kou is very excited at the knowledge that the Samezuka knights are coming."

"Oh, so you have heard about it, too!" the middle-aged captain beamed. "Excited, Lady Miho?"

"Only to have a revival of our knights," she told him easily. Her eyes narrowed. "Then I can sponsor a team."

"Ah...," Captain Sasabe trailed off. "I see you are still thinking about that."

Suddenly, Lady Amakata stopped. She snapped her head at him and shot him a glare. "And why shouldn't I be!?"

"The knights are not a tool for you to use in order to humiliate your former fiancee-"

"It is more than just that!" the woman exclaimed. "Is it wrong to wish to see the glory of the Iwatobi knights once more? Even I have pride in their history. Do not forget that my father was one. We used to have an elite team and now-"

"Miho, do not criticize those young men." The formality seemed to vanish as Captain Sasabe cut her off and gave her a disapproving frown. "You know that they work hard and are excellent knights."

"I was going to say that now they do not have a chance to show everyone else that, _Goro_," she replied in kind. "Haruka's swordsmanship is impeccable and no one is faster than our Nagisa. Then there is Makoto." She lifted her free hand and poked the man in the chest. "When are you going to step down and give him the position already, you old man!"

Captain Sasabe made a choking sound as looked at her as if she had criticized the gods themselves. "Old man!?" he demanded.

"Makoto would make an excellent captain," Lady Amakata told him proudly as she looked away. "You need to decide whether you want to retire or not, Captain Sasabe. If you keep shadowing over them as such, they'll never have a chance to blossom."

She lifted her chin and walked away from the man. The Iwatobi captain let out a heavy breath and lowered his head. It wasn't that he didn't think Makoto could handle being the next captain, it was just with every year that passed and no new recruits, he was concerned that Makoto would see it as a reflection of his leadership abilities.

The younger man already led the drills, scheduled their rounds, and did official work. All he lacked was the title.

Quietly, Captain Sasabe turned around and headed back up to the temple. There were also some things that he didn't want Makoto to have to deal with, including a yet-to-be sourced rumor that Iwatobi was building a military and planned to cut off Samezuka.

It wasn't something the royal family considered, nor any of the higher ups in the kingdom. Samezuka was historically important and they knew that their forces were no match for Samezuka's, nor did they want to fight. Peace was important. Peace allowed them to focus their energy on economics and prosper. Iwatobi didn't want to give that up.

The captain had hoped that the ridiculous rumors hadn't reached Samezuka, but when the letter from Captain Mikoshiba arrived requesting a joint training session in hopes of bringing Iwatobi's knights back on to the tournament circuit, the noble knight couldn't help but wonder if there was an ulterior motive.

He knew Captain Mikoshiba and Mikoshiba's father before him. They were an honorable family that prided themselves on their duty and skill. Spying was not a knightly conduct and he doubted they would risk it. The upcoming visit still bothered Sasabe and it took him a few days to respond and accept the request.

He had to trust fellow knights and allies. They were young men who were coming, including one who was formerly his own. One who a young priestess he knew missed dearly.

"Thank you!" her familiar voice rang through the air and the old man's eyes softened as he saw her practically skip out of a room.

Silently, Sasabe hoped that he was right in his judgment of Samezuka's knight's characters and that they were coming for honest purposes; not to spy.

"Captain Sasabe!" Gou beamed and waved at him. "Did you hear!? My brother is coming!"

He forced a smile on his face. "I heard!" he laughed happily, refusing to let his suspicions leak out. "But don't think we'll go easy on him!" Gou chuckled and the older knight kept a smile on his face.

If he was wrong, they would be betrayed.

"Brother will give you a good fight," the young priestess promised him. "I heard he's a great knight!"

Gou, however, would lose a brother.

Sasabe nodded. "Let's hope so."

* * *

"Ah! Look at that bakery! They're selling Samezuka fried bread!" Aiichirou gushed excitedly from his horse.

On the horse ahead of him, Seijuurou chuckled. He sat upright on a black horse, holding the reins on one gloved hands while the other rested on his thigh. Despite their Duchy's proximity to the kingdom, he rarely visited. The last time he could remember was as an errand to escort a shipment from the docks of Iwatobi directly to Samezuka when he was still in his second year of knighthood.

Since then, he'd been pre-occupied with his position either working in the Duchy or preparing for tournaments when he was not officially on duty. It was the same for most of the other knights, so it didn't surprise him that many hadn't been to Iwatobi, either.

"You'll have time to do some exploring on your own while we're here," Seijuurou assured the younger, gray-haired knight. "If you have a chance, take a ship out on the bay."

"Can we do that?" Aiichirou asked, surprised.

"You can charter a boat to take you out," a low voice said to his right. Beside him, a man in his gambeson and turban, which all of them wore across the desert to keep their heads covered, seemed to be focused on the stone road that cut through the sprawling seaside city. "Tourist do it all the time."

Aiichirou's face lit up. "That's right!" he said as he sat up straight. "You're from here, aren't you, Sir Rin? Before you came to Samezuka? You should join me when we have a chance to look around," he invited hopefully.

The invitation was barely acknowledged by the burgundy-eyed man. "I left a long time ago," the knight replied slowly. "I wouldn't be of any help guiding you." He paused as he glanced around. The same buildings, the same streets...but different somehow. Rin lowered his eyes once more. "Things changed."

Seijuurou kept his eyes ahead of him. Rin hadn't spoken much about his native kingdom since they left in the pre-dawn hours. He had initially asked to be left behind, but this whole thing was because of him and his captain merely asked if he was afraid of returning.

Immediately insulted, Rin had jerked his head back and shook it. He had denied any fear and simply stated that the entire objective of the trip was a waste of time. Whether it was or was not, it didn't matter. Rin was ordered to go and thus, he went.

He had been the last person to arrive at the courtyard. Aiichirou had been charged with making sure he made it and the younger knight had done all he could to ensure that everything was ready for his roommate. Aiichirou had packed his things, put his armor in the carriage with the others, and prepared his horse.

All Rin had to do was get on and even that seemed as if he were regretting every moment of it. If Seijuurou wasn't sure that the priestess and their hosts in Iwatobi were expecting him, he would've simply left Rin behind in his frustration.

"Matsuoka," he barked suddenly. Behind him, the half dozen knight he had brought with him all sat up straight in their saddles, instantly attentive to their commanding officer even if he had called out the name of only one of them. "A moment."

As if ordered, the remaining knights slowed their paces to make distance and allowed the knight called to reach their captain. Rin's gloved hands tightened on his reins once more.

"Yes, Captain?

"I can't change how you feel about Iwatobi or you return here," Seijuurou told him solemnly. "However, you are a Samezuka knight and I expect you to present yourself with the decorum of one. No slouching, no looking as if you would rather be elsewhere - even if you do. Understand?"

Rin took in a low, calming breath and then exhaled slowly. "Yes, Captain."

"If you continue to act in an manner unbefitting of one of my knights, I will extend your stay and speak to Captain Sasabe about placing you as a temporary knight here."

"What!?" Rin choked as he turned to the orange haired man. A serious look met his in return.

"Do I make myself clear, Matsuoka," Seijuurou seemed to demand.

Rin grit his teeth, but slowly gave the man an acknowledging nod. "Yes, Captain."

"Good. You may return."

The black and white horse he was on fell back a length and Rin could only seethe silently on his saddle. Of course his captain wouldn't threaten to send him back; that would only encourage him.

"Ah! You've arrived!" His voice had gotten slightly deeper, but it still carried the same easily excitable tone it always did. Rin's blank stare seemed to focus on an armored, but helmetless knight atop a flaxen chestnut mare with sand colored hair just a bit darker than that of his rider.

Big pink eyes looked eager to see them as one arm waved enthusiastically in the air.

"I take you are the escort Captain Sasabe sent?" Seijuurou asked. The young man on the horse waiting for them reached to his side. He grasped the grip of his sword with one hand and pulled the long, well-worn object out.

"Welcome to Iwatobi, knights of Samezuka," he smiled as he lifted the sword in the air and held it vertically in front of him. His hand gripping it rose and brought the base of the guards to his forehead in a salute. "I am Hazuki Nagisa," he introduced himself before extending his sword once more towards them. "I will be leading you to the castle."

Seijuurou reached to his side and mirrored the salute with his sword. "Thank you, Sir Hazuki. I am Captain Mikoshiba Seijuurou and these are my-"

"Ah, Rin!" His introduce was cut short as the younger knight beamed at the sight of the sharp-toothed man. "You did come!"

Rin turned his head away, refusing to look at Nagisa. Aiichirou looked from their new host to his senior knight. "Sir Rin, do you know him?" he whispered.

"We used to train together...," Rin muttered in reply.

"Come with me!" Nagisa smiled as he turned his horse around. "Everyone will be so excited to see you!"

Rin scoffed. "Not excited enough to meet us at the gates, though." Honestly, was Nagisa - the youngest and lowest ranking of the Iwatobi knights, the only one they sent? Part of him couldn't help but be offended.

"Oi!" Seijuurou called out as he kicked the side of his horse and started after him. "Wait! Sir Hazuki, you're going too fast!"

"It's fine!" Nagisa shouted over his shoulder. "Everyone will move out of the way!"

Rin could feel the eyes of the remaining knights on him, as if asking if the knights of Iwatobi were always that reckless. Instead of answering, he kicked his own horse into motion.

"Let's go!" he shouted as he began after them.

It was a miracle that they managed to get to the castle at the far end of the city, which rested on a large, crescent shaped beach that surrounded a harbor, unharmed and without injuring others. The old, study stone castle looked just as Rin remembered it.

He galloped through familiar gates, past ramparts, and over ramps to get to the lower courtyard. There, his quick speed came to a controlled stop. Nagisa was taking his spot beside a row of three other men and royal guards had come to take their horses.

Seijuurou was already walking towards the oldest of the group, removing his glove to shake the other knight's hand.

Rin's eyes were focused on the two men behind Captain Sasabe. Unmoving from their spaces, with one wearing a calm, warm smile and the other looking directly at him with clear blue eyes, were Makoto and Haruka.

Keen eyes saw Haruka's hand moving towards his sword, only to have Makoto's arm move in front of his, stopping him without so much as a falter in his smile.

"Are these your men?" Sasabe's voice cut through Rin's thoughts and he snapped his head back. Around him, the other knights were dismounting and he quickly did, as well.

Automatically, they lined up behind their captain, mirroring the Iwatobi knights.

"I invited two of our younger promising knights. They placed in the last tournaments. It was their first," Seijuurou said, trying not to sound as if he were bragging. Captain Sasabe seemed pleased, so he continued. "And we've brought the highest placed from each category."

"Wonderful!" Sasabe said. His eyes settled on Rin and he smiled. "I'm very happy you were all able to come."

Rin gave him a small bow of his head. "Captain."

The middle-aged man chuckled. "Well, before we head into the upper court, where our king is waiting to greet you, let me introduce my knights." The blond captain stepped back. "Sir Tachibana Makoto, our grappler."

"Welcome," the brown-haired man greeted amiably. Seijuurou gave him a nod.

"You've met Sir Hazuki Nagisa. His preference is dagger," Captain Sasabe continued. Nagisa smiled brightly. "And lastly, Sir Nanase Haruka. His preference is the long sword."

Rin could hardly hear what else was said. All he could do was size up his former fellow knights. When had Makoto grown so tall? And Nagisa looked as agile as ever. His hands suddenly itched for his sword. Did Haruka wish to battle it out as well?

"Sir Rin!" Aiichirou whispered as he passed. "We're going in!" The man blinked once, shaking himself out of his thoughts before quickly following. They walked through another gate, into a larger courtyard lined with royal guards.

Directly ahead of them were a set of stairs and ramps that lead to the castle's interior. Standing at the top of the steps was an elderly man and Rin immediately bowed.

Behind them, the Iwatobi knights were also bowing and it took another moment for Seijuurou and the others realized this and followed.

"Knights of Samezuka, welcome!" the gray-haired monarch's voice filled the courtyard.

Seijuurou couldn't help but find it more appealing that the current head of Samezuka's. As they rose, the visiting captain tried to focus on the speech the king was giving. Instead, his thoughts began to wander.

Surrounding the courtyard were open halls and numerous members of the court had come out to see them. Well dressed men and women seemed interested, but Seijuurou instead found himself wondering if the priestess was amongst them.

Mentally, he chided himself. This was not the time to be thinking of Priestess Kou. He was in a foreign country as a guest and thus, representing his country. He was to pay attention and act accordingly, not pathetically search the crowds for long, beautiful wine-colored hair and big, sparkling eyes.

He wasn't supposed to be thinking about the clinking jewelry or the gauzy veil that peeked from beneath her outer robe. True, he wanted to see her, but he also took his duty seriously. If he said he was there to encourage the Iwatobi knights to rejoin the circuit, then that was what he was going to do.

Even if also wanted aid one of his knights and possibly see the young priestess again.

"_Focus, Seijuurou," _his mind demanded. He took a deep breath and kept his head up proudly just as the king was finishing his speech. He would have plenty of time to visit the Water God's temple and pay her a visit, he reasoned. His eyes briefly darted to Rin. And he would bring that fool with him, too.

"To welcome our guests," the king continued. "One of the Water God's Priestesses had come to bless water from the temple springs and spread its blessings to you all with it."

Rin's jaw tightened. He knew exactly which priestess it would be and tried to ready himself, though he wasn't sure for what exactly. For the first time years, he would see his little sister again. Was he nervous? Ashamed? He had all but turned his back on her. Was she angry? Did his absence hurt her more than he thought?

Somewhere in the distance, a gong was struck and attendants appeared in the second level balcony to their right.

Without thinking, Rin immediately turned, mirroring the simultaneous movements of Makoto, Haruka, Nagisa and their captain who had been standing behind them. Seijuurou took note of the movement and followed, therefore silently ordering his subordinates to repeat his motion and face the balcony now above them.

All around them, the Royal Guards who flanked the courtyard simultaneously lowered their arms and bent down on one knee. They lowered their heads in the direction of the moving curtains. The knights all remained standing, awaiting their blessing. An attendant on either side pulled the cloth away and the courtyard was silent save for the sound of clinking metal.

Bangles on her ankles and wrists, Rin remembered. He should've known they would've made her wear all that unnecessary jewelry. He kept his head tilted upwards, towards the balcony.

His eyes softened. A small part of him expected a short, tiny little girl with burgundy hair pinned every which way stepping to the edge of the balcony. Instead, a beautiful young woman emerged. Her hair and eyes mirrored the color of his and for a moment they met.

A small smile tugged at his lips. He wasn't scared or ashamed. Gou's eyes misted as she looked at him.

"Welcome, guests. Knights of Samezuka," she greeted as she held her arms out. Her voice didn't waver. It was clear and carried well. "To Iwatobi."

He was unexpectedly proud. Beside him, Rin heard Aiichirou whisper under his breath. "Sir Rin," he said, his own eyes lingering on the priestess as she blessed water presented to her in a large shell bowl. Her hair was almost exactly the same as Rin's and her eyes, while larger, were the same shade as his. "Is that your sister?"

Old prayers came out of her lips easily. There was no fumbling. No getting tongue tied or looks of impatience that he had remembered her showing when she first began her studies there. Her movements were now smooth and refined.

She looked like a real priestess.

"Yes," Rin said as he glanced to his right. "That's her-"

His voice caught in his throat. His slight smile left his face as his eyes settled on the male knight on Aiichirou's other side.

Amber eyes were looking up, wide and wondrous as his mouth remained slightly agape; left in a look of breathlessness. Rin followed his captain's gaze and felt his muscles tense. Like everyone else, Seijuurou was looking up at the priestess, but his expression was not the look of nostalgia and pride Rin held nor one of curiousity, as Aiichirou's was.

Rin felt something in his stomach sink. "No...," he muttered, unheard by anyone else.

Captain Mikoshiba was looking at his sister as if Matsuoka Kou as if she had just descended from the heavens.

And it sent shivers down the younger knight's spine.

* * *

**A Note From the Author:**

Hello again and thank you for reading! I just wanted to post this before the weekend, as I am hoping to get chapter 3 out by then. Then both AO3 and FF will be up to date for this fanfic. As this is an AU, if you have any questions or need clarification, please let me know. I'm still in the middle of "world building", so the actual SeiGou interactions will be limited and far between for now. Thank you again for your time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Accressere**

Chapter 3

By MiaVortice

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

"Sir Nitori Aiichirou of the Nitori family has ranked in the free play daggers at the last western regional tournament," the orange-haired captain stopped beside the gray-haired young man, who bowed his head towards Iwatobi's royal family. As the king nodded in acknowledgement, Seijuurou took a step to the side, stopping next to Rin.

"Well, I see we have a familiar face," the old king chuckled. "Welcome back to Iwatobi, Sir Matsuoka."

"It brings me great pleasure to return, Your Highness," Rin replied respectfully as he remained bowing. Silently, Seijuurou was relieved that he didn't say something rude about being forced to return against his will.

"You would be quite proud of your native son, Your Highness," Seijuurou continued. "Sir Matsuoka has ranked first in the recent years at both the western and southern tournaments. He has placed high in the eastern and northern, as well."

The king looked pleased as Rin stood up straight. He tried to keep his focus on their host king, but instead found his gaze focusing on the small row of Iwatobi knights standing between them and the king.

Makoto mirrored Captain Goro's stance; feet apart and slightly bent with their arms in front of them and hands lightly placed on top of the other just below their belly buttons. Hands were not to be clasped, as time would be lost when shifting into a defensive stance from the neutral position.

At the other end of the short line, Nagisa was standing in a similar position, but with his arms hanging at his sides. Rin's eyes darted down to his boots. Nagisa carried a dagger in each, as well as at his side and his back.

In between the short blond and the tall brunette, Haruka was standing with his feet apart and one slightly forward. While one arm hung at his side, seemingly innocently, the other one rested on the pommel of his hilt. It would be a quick movement to slide his hand down and unsheath.

He was itching to fight and, truth be told, so was Rin.

"Hands down," a low, hushed voice came from his captain and Rin blinked. He glanced down at his hands and found them starting to mirror Haruka's. He tried to subtly bring his hand back over the other as Captain Sasabe spoke.

"A brief demonstration would be suitable, Captain," the king was replying. "Wouldn't you say? Just to give everyone something to talk about at the banquet!"

While it may have sounded like a suggestion, it was clear to both captains that it was an order. Sasabe bowed to his king before turning to the visiting knights' head.

"Captain Mikoshiba," he began. Seijuurou could see apology in his eyes and he understood. To do a match then was troublesome to their guests. The Samezuka knights had been traveling an entire day and to be asked to do a quick match suddenly, while tried, wasn't the best idea.

"A simple best of three game should be enough to rouse the crowd, shouldn't it?" he asked, smiling.

Sasabe gave him a small bow of thanks. "That sounds rather fitting, yes," he agreed. "Who will be Samezuka's chosen knight?"

Rin's dark pink eyes nearly widened. This was his chance to do the one thing he had been looking forward to since he was ordered to come. He would get to _fight Haruka_. He began to take a step forward and opened his mouth to volunteer.

A sword was sheathed in front of him and quickly held out, as if barring him from stepping further forward. Accusing pink eyes looked at his captain as the orange-haired man smiled widely. Seijuurou's right hand gently held the grip his sword as he took a small, smooth step forward.

"As my men have spent the day traveling, I feel I, as their captain, should be the one to start off these games," he began. He held his free hand out and one of the younger knights handed him his helmet. "Would that be alright, Captain Sasabe?"

"Of course," the older man nodded. He could see Rin glaring daggers at Seijuurou's back. Goro was pleased that the Samezuka captain had stepped forward, having seen Rin's shoulders shift and hands move towards his sword. It was a subtle hint at his urge to fight. "I believe our Sir Tachibana Makoto will be a good match for tonight's round."

The tallest of the group stepped forward and, as if automatically knowing what to do, all the knights stepped backwards and moved towards the boundaries of the court to give the two men their space. Makoto unsheathed his sword and held it at his side as he kept his helmet under one of his arms.

"Thank you for volunteering," Makoto said in a voice just loud enough for Seijuurou to hear.

Before the other man could respond, Goro began to call out the rules of the game. Since they were wearing light armor, they would settle for three hits. A cut across a vital point that would 'stop' them in battle would count as a hit. The first to get two out of three hits would win.

"Knights salute!" Goro called. The two opponents stood across from each other and lifted their swords up, then extended and gently hit their opponent's before drawing it back.

"Please do not be gentle with me, Captain Mikoshiba," Makoto said as he began to put on his helmet. "I value what experience I can get."

Seijuurou laughed lightly. "I swear to you, Sir Tachibana, I will not hold back."

"I look forward to it," Makoto smiled behind his mask and Seijuurou could barely make out the man's kind green eyes. They stood in readied guards. "Afterwards, allow me to pour you a drink. It is as thanks for aiding our priestess in Samezuka."

For a brief moment, Seijuurou's thoughts turned back to her and his heart quickened. Now that he thought about it, wasn't she still there? _Watching?_

"Go!" he vaguely heard a voice call.

"_What?"_ He blinked.

"Hit!" was the next word he heard. Behind the face mask of his helmet, wide golden eyes were staring through another helmet at a pair of slightly confused green ones.

"Captain Mikoshiba, are you alright?" Makoto asked. Perhaps the other man hadn't heard Captain Sasabe call out the start. "You seem distracted."

It was then that Seijuurou felt the weight of the sword pressed down against the guards of his. Years of practiced movements had allowed him to subconsciously move his sword into the correct position and place it at his side for a parry, but in his moment of distraction, he hadn't shifted it into an counterattack and so, Makoto was able to make a hit.

Oh, gods...had Priestess Kou seen that pathetic display? He drew his sword back and stood up straight. He resisted the urge to look back towards her balcony to check if she was looking. Now was _not _the time.

"My apologies, Sir Tachibana, I was thinking of something else and didn't hear Captain Sasabe call for a start," he explained calmly, lifting his sword guard to his forehead and bowing. "That was most rude. I apologize."

"Not at all," Makoto assured him. "Captain Sasabe, please start again. That was a false start on my part," he insisted.

His superior nodded. "Guard positions!" he warned this time. Makoto held his sword in a low guard; Seijuurou automatically responded with a high guard. The courtyard was silent; waiting. "Go!"

* * *

"Priestess Kou, your seat has been prepared at the banquet," one of her attendants told her. "Please come this way."

Her ringed fingers gripped on to the stone balcony as she leaned as close to the edge as she could without leaning over the side. "One moment," she said, not taking her eyes off of the men below. "I want to see the match."

To her disappointment, Captain Miko-something stepped forward. From her vantage point, she could tell that he had purposely blocked her brother from volunteering and pouted her lips in disappointment. She had hoped to see Rin in action.

Her shoulders slumped down as she watched the foreign captain and Makoto take their places across from each other.

"Priestess Kou," her attendant pressed. "The royal party will be entering soon and the nobles and knights will wish to greet you."

She wanted to stay and watch. Makoto was an excellent swordsman and she was curious to see how he'd stand against her brother's captain. She always thought that one day, Makoto would be the next captain of their knights. This would've been a good chance to assess their abilities against one another.

Captain Sasabe shouted and Makoto moved forward smoothly. Gou's eyes crinkled up, somewhat disappointed when Makoto's sword hit the other captain's guards, stopping it before it could do any real damage against his shoulder. Still, it had been a hit.

"Priestess-"

"Let me see one real hit," she insisted, refusing to move from her spot. The two knights below returned to their guard stances and she leaned forward, carefully watching. Captain Sasabe shouted once more and this time, neither knight moved.

The air was tense before Samezuka's captain moved his arms forward, extending as he took an angled step to his right. Gou bit her lower lip as Makoto countered the descending attack with an ascending one.

The movements were smooth and their placements and trajectories precise. Each knight countered the other flawlessly and Gou barely had time to wrap her mind around each step, attack, and counter. She had grown up with the three remaining Iwatobi knights and had a basic idea of what was going on, yet to see them going against someone else with different dynamics...she found herself captivated.

Truly, Samezuka's captain deserved his title. He seemed to know exactly what Makoto was going to do next. That wasn't to say that Makoto didn't know what he was doing. His timing proved nearly flawless _Nearly. _

He was just a moment too slow and wasn't able to lift his guard fast enough. The tip of the orange-haired knight's sword was at Makoto's neck.

"Hit!" Applause came from all around as the men disengaged.

"Priestess Kou..." Gou stepped back from the balcony edge. Her face was flushed and she raised her pale hand to her chest. She could feel her heart slamming against her chest at the excitement. How long had it been beating that fast?

"I'm coming," the young woman said as she turned away from the courtyard. She followed behind her attendants as she smiled slightly to herself. She'd have to make a point to come down and watch more often.

* * *

That was a better round, Seijuurou thought to himself as he returned to his guard position in preparation for the next. Captain Sasabe called a start once more and this time his opponent made the first move.

Seijuurou had to hand it to him. Makoto's movements were strong and solid. It was a bit of a rush to feel such a firm hit against his sword and it encouraged him to respond in kind. His arms rose to a guard and as Makoto's blade slid down the flat of his, Seijuurou brought it down, aiming for the brown-haired man's head.

A step to the side and a quick turn of his hands and suddenly, a pommel was resting against Seijuurou's jaw before his sword had a chance to carry out its full course. Makoto had stepped closer, closing the distance to work inside the space, making the intended hit futile and out of reach.

"Hit!" This time, the applause were louder, as the home knight scored.

Seijuurou smirked. "I didn't expect that," he admitted. Makoto was tall; typically a move to get into the space was executed by smaller statured knights.

"Nagisa uses it all the time," Makoto chuckled as they disengaged.

"I'll have to watch for him, then," the Captain noted with amusement. They returned to their guard stance.

Rin kept his eyes on both men as he stood with his arms crossed and a stern frown across his lips. He was sure that Captain Mikoshiba wasn't using his full strength, but was clearly enjoying himself. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if Makoto was taking it all that seriously as well.

As the two combatants began to move, Rin wondered if Makoto's movements were as natural as he had made them seem. The fluidity only came with practice and Makoto had never been the best of them in terms of sword fighting. It only made Rin wonder what Haruka's abilities now were.

"Hit!" His thoughts were suddenly drawn back to the duo and immediately focused on the foible of his captain's sword resting against the side of Makoto's head. Around him, the spectators clapped, but Rin couldn't help but be attracted to the smooth, but quick movement of Makoto's sword lowering.

It had been poised to be thrusted directly into Captain Mikoshiba's stomach and it had merely been a matter of who had struck the other first. In a real battle, both would've been struck and Rin wondered if his captain had purposely left himself open in order to finish the round.

The two knights disengaged and saluted each other before removing their helmets and tugging off their gloves. They extended their hands to shake before Seijuurou slapped Makoto in the shoulder amiably and told him he'd be waiting for that drink.

"We're heading inside!" Seijuurou told his men. "Your things will be dropped off at the knights' courtyard and after we eat, we'll be retiring for the night. Iwatobi's knights will escort us to our rooms, so do not get drunk," he golden-eyed man told them firmly. "We just arrived and tomorrow is our first training exercise with Iwatobi. I will not have you all hung over, understand?"

"Yes, Captain!" several voices immediately answered. Seijuurou nodded, satisfied.

"Proceed inside," he ordered. They got into two lines and began to march ahead. As they passed, Seijuurou finally allowed himself to glance up at the balcony. His heart quickened with hope, only to feel ridiculous when his eyes settled upon the vacant space where the priestess had been standing.

So, she hadn't stayed to watch. Somehow, it was disappointing. It wasn't his best match, but he wasn't sure when, or even if, she'd show up to their later exhibitions.

"Captain Mikoshiba," a voice called. He turned his head and saw Makoto waiting for him. "This way, please."

Forcing a smile, Seijuurou nodded and stepped forward, his helmet still under his arm. "Is Priestess Kou not allowed to remain outside of the temple for long?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

Makoto tired not to bite his lip and chuckle. He had also seen the other man's expression when Gou appeared for the blessing. He had also seen Rin's look of displeasure.

"She is always escorted," Makoto explained. "However, of the priestesses, she is the one assigned to do blessings to the Royal Guards and the Knights."

"Then she must've returned to the temple already." Seijuurou hoped he didn't sound as dejected as he thought.

"Actually, no," Makoto told him as he led the captain down the hall. "She's just taken her seat inside early."

* * *

Her fingers twisted on her lap as she sat to the right side of the royal dining table. There was no table in front of her, as her dishes were held up by her attendants. It was a hassle, but it was so that the nobles coming for her blessings could get close and bow to her.

To her side was a large shell bowl filled with blessed water and a few pearls at the bottom. As the nobles began to enter, she sat up straight in her cushioned seat and reached into the bowl, dipping her hand into the water.

"Excited?" a cheeky voice said beside her as the princess crouched down beside Gou's chair. Automatically, she bowed her head so that Gou could bless her. "Big Brother Rin is back."

"I know," the burgundy-haired priestess acknowledged. "I was hoping he'd get to fight, Hana."

"I know, that's why I asked Father to order it, but that captain stepped forward instead," Hana mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. So much for her plan. "Sorry, Gou."

"I'll have more chances."

"The captain was pretty skilled, though. Is he the one you told me about?" Hana asked. "He doesn't seem as strange as you had made him sound."

Gou grimaced slightly. "He wasn't _strange_," she stressed. "He had just _surprised _me." She saw Captain Sasabe enter along with Nagisa and Haruka behind him. "Oh! They're coming!"

The princess took that as her cue to leave and quickly bowed respectfully at the priestess before returning to her seat.

"Priestess," Captain Sasabe greeted as he knelt before her. Gou reached into her shell once more and swiped some water across his forehead with her fingers. He bowed again before rising and heading towards their table.

Haruka and Nagisa bowed before her. "Hi, Gou!" the youngest knight whispered. "Thanks for the blessing!"

"It's Priestess Kou!" she hissed under her breath, making sure to press her fingers against his forehead extra hard as she did her blessing. "How many times must I tell you?"

He merely giggled as he rose with Haruka and moved to the side. "Don't aggravate the priestess," Haruka sighed.

The Samezuka knights arrived and unsurely followed the movements of the Iwatobi knights, kneeling before Gou as she reached down to bless them.

"Welcome to Iwatobi," she told them gently, using her softer 'priestess voice'. "The Water God blesses you."

Behind them, Seijuurou silently wondered what he should say to her. With each step, he debated on starting off with thanking her for her blessing or inviting her to watch one of their exhibitions.

"Welcome to Iwatobi." He blinked. When did he start kneeling? Was he at the front of the line already? She had very cute feet in those slippers. His face heated up at the thought as a cool finger dragged across his forehead. "The Water God blesses you."

He didn't know what else to do, but look up. "Yes!" he said earnestly. "It's a pleasure to see you again-"

"Captain, you're holding up the line," a droll voice said behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Rin standing, his eyes lowered as he waited his turn. Seijuurou looked up at the priestess and saw her staring at her brother.

He bit his lip. He could read the atmosphere. He bowed his head. "Thank you, Priestess," he replied calmly. He rose to his feet, bowing his head once more, before stepping back to allow his last knight to be be blessed.

Silently, Rin stepped forward. He slowly knelt before the his sister and bowed his head. Gou lifted her wet hand from the shell and moved to bless him. As her finger prepared to draw a line across his forehead, she stopped. Her eyes narrowed and her index finger curled above her thumb.

"Priestess!" an attendant gasped as Gou flicked her brother on the forehead as hard as she could. She saw a brief wince at best.

"I'll bless you properly when you come visit me," she stated firmly. She blinked rapidly to keep from crying. It was her first actual contact with her brother in years.

With his head still bowed, Rin found himself smirking slightly. "Is that what they taught you at that temple?"

"I can bless who I want to," Gou replied with false bravado. "And if you want a proper one, you need to come and bring me offerings."

He lifted his head up. "I'm not going to buy you cakes from the bakery below," he told her knowingly. She had loved those little puffy, cream-filled things from that bakery by the docks when she was little.

Gou's eyes remained fixed on him as they softened slightly. It surprised her that he remembered that. Then it hurt her to be reminded that while he did, he hadn't contacted her in several years.

"I don't want any cakes," she told him truthfully. "All I want is my brother." Rin could hear the slight crack in her voice and felt his chest ache with guilt.

The man across from her lowered his head once more. He extended his hand and grasped hers. The attendants stepped forward to stop him, but Gou held up her other hand to silently order them back. Rin pressed his head against the back of her hand. He didn't want to hurt his only sibling.

"Tomorrow evening," he told her. "I'll bring you your brother, Gou."

Seijuurou watched as a relieved and near elated look appeared on the young woman's face. He felt his own pleased look grace his face, knowing that he had helped her be happy at that moment. She closed her eyes and Seijuurou turned around. He stopped as he saw the three younger Iwatobi knights watching the exchange.

"Captain Mikoshiba," Makoto smiled as he noticed the captain and then motioned to a table where the Samezuka knights were being seated. A wide spread of food and drink were placed in front of them. "With our thanks."

* * *

Nagisa walked down the corridor in his light armor. His sword was at his side as he glanced around the few off duty royal guards who were moving through the hall. He had caught a few guards looking out at the courtyard as Makoto and Haruka were listening to Samezuka's captaining explaining changes in the point system at tournaments.

"Ah!" Like he did each time saw someone show interest, Nagisa made a beeline towards them. "Hello! Have you thought about joining the knights?"

And just like all the other times he had done so, he was met with shakes of heads and polite declines. The short blonde's face kept a smile, but inwardly, he was disappointed yet again. He had roamed the halls whenever he had a few moments to spare in search for recruits for the knighthood and so far, he had failed.

"It's still early," a calming voice said behind him. He turned around and saw a woman holding an umbrella at her side. She smiled softly. "It's too early for recruitment, don't you think?"

"Lady Amakata," Nagisa gave her a bow. "Do you think so?" he asked with a disheartened look on his face.

"Well, I would wait until after an actual exhibition, where you can show your skills and abilities rather than just drills," the noblewoman suggested. "The knights' training regime is a bit more intensive than that of a royal guard's. They may be scared away when they see how much you do this," she said as she held her umbrella in front of her like a sword. "Or have a point in front of you, like this!" She made little thrusts forward with the tip of her umbrella at Nagisa and the young blond giggled.

"You don't just make forward thrusts and starting off in such a position is tiring and leaves the rest of your body open for an attack," Nagisa pointed out as he walked along side of her.

"Well, as my father used to say," Miho began seriously. "_Never show your opponent more than you want him to know_!"

Nagisa's brows furrowed. "But we're not trying to show opponents; we're trying to show royal guards."

The woman beside him faltered. "You get my point, Nagisa," she insisted.

He let out a sigh as he clasped his hands behind his back. "We just need one more person, Lady Amakata."

"I know."

"It's times like this I wish we were nobles," he pouted. "If we were nobles, we could enter individually, but since we're not, we need to form a team and get a noble sponsor."

"You just worry about the team formation," the older woman smiled as she patted his head. "I will sponsor you when you're ready." He beamed and she gently grasped his arm. "Now, escort me to the knights' courtyard," she ordered coolly. "I'd like to see what our future opponents can do."

Dutifully, Nagisa bent his arm and walked beside her as he led her to the knights' courtyard at the southeastern part of the castle. It was built on grounds lower than the rest of the castle, so from the entrance from the rest of the structure, they were on and upper level of the surrounding courtyard.

Below, in the open space, swords were hitting metal and dust was being kicked up as surprisingly agile men in lighter versions of their full armor circled in closed off rings.

"There he is," she heard Goro's voice say. "Nagisa! Get your training daggers! You're up next!"

Miho smiled and remained on the upper level, looking down at the knights as Nagisa scrambled down the stone steps leading to the courtyard. He was paired with a gray-haired young man and the two shook hands.

They headed into a squared off area to begin, both with two wooden daggers; one in each hand. Goro stepped into the ring to watch them. He let out a yell and Miho found herself narrowing her eyes, scrutinizing every movement of the two.

Nitori, as she heard the other one called, was light on his feet. He was slower, but his movements wasted much less energy. Nagisa was quick, seemingly exploring the reach of his opponent with thrown and quickly pulled attacks.

"Stay steady, Nitori!" Samezuka's captain barked as he passed. His eyes were narrowed. "Watch your movements."

Miho smirked. Did he mean to tire Nagisa out? Clearly, he didn't know the boy.

"Nagisa," Makoto said as he stood the side. He wasn't wearing armor and had on a light version of his gambeson. He was tugging off his gloves, but his clothes were matted with dirt from the long day. "If you're going to make a hit, be sure it is useful. Do not waste your energy."

"Okay!" Nagisa replied. His movements slowed and he began to mirror the other knight's movements. If the gray-haired man didn't attack, Nagisa would either have to attack or coax one in order to defend and simultaneously counter attack.

When no move was made, Nagisa decided it was time. He dropped one shoulder, moved his arm down to aim for a forward thrust into the abdomen. Aiichirou dropped his arm to block and counter. His other hand adjusted his knife down in order to brace his blocking arm.

It left an opening Nagisa wanted.

Goro yelled and Miho smiled, satisfied as the rounded tip of Nagisa's wooden dagger lingered just against his opponent's trachea.

From the side, Seijuurou looked impressed. They had only begun, but as unpolished as the Iwatobi knights were, they had that raw ability that most men would die for.

It was enough to remind him of his third tournament, when he first met the original four from Iwatobi. All four had placed high in their division and when it came to a combined team score, they had won. He didn't understand why Rin had left such a team.

"You look surprised," a voice chuckled beside him. He could make out Makoto smiling. "Nagisa is small and lithe. He also knows how to draw one's attention to something in order to conceal his true attack."

"He also remained just out distance until he attacked," Seijuurou muttered. He looked at Makoto. "He didn't step in until the very end, when he committed."

"That's why he was testing Sir Nitori's reach," Makoto said. He patted Seijuurou's shoulder. "The refined ability and timing of your knights, however, give them an edge."

Seijuurou smirked lightly. "Perhaps for now, but I think you have a solid foundation for a team, Sir Tachibana."

"Let's hope that it carries over to the exhibitions," Makoto chuckled. He walked past Seijuurou and neighboring captain watched him reach the black-haired member of their knights.

Sir Nanase was their best swordsman and it showed very early on. Two of his younger knights and one who had placed worked with the man who never seemed to let go of his sword.

Seijuurou had been quick to insist that they only work on guards, footwork, and attacks, but refrain from actual sparring. He knew that once he allowed that, a certain sharp-toothed, beautiful priestess-sister-having knight would never let others take a turn.

He wanted Rin to wait and it was mainly because he wanted to see how Iwatobi's swordsman stood up to him after some more refinement. They lacked experience with others, after all, and Rin had plenty of that.

A bell began to ring through the courtyard and he turned towards one corner, where Captain Sasabe was tugging on rope connected to a small hammer and bell.

"Let's clean up!" he shouted. "I look forward to picking up where we left off tomorrow!"

The familiar sounds of swords being draw was heard and Seijuurou turned to watch the three Iwatobi knights bright their swords up and salute their captain. Once they sheathed their swords, they began to gather the various equipment laying around the courtyard.

Seijuurou turned to his men.

"Alright," the orange-haired Samezuka captain called out. "Samezuka, assist the Iwatobi knights in putting the training equipment away. Once that is completed, Captain Sasabe has instructed that meals will be served in the lower garrison. After you finish, check and feed your horses," he ordered firmly. "Only then are you dismissed for the night."

"Are we allowed free time after we check on the horses, Captain?" one of his knights asked.

"Yes," Seijuurou replied. "However," he quickly continued before the earnest looks of some of his men could spread. "We do wake at dawn to join Iwatobi for their morning endurance drills," he reminded them. "Anyone who sleeps in and consequently misses the drills, will be required to repeat the drills twice, understand?"

Part of him was pleased that there were no groans of protest coming from the knights. He would've punished them with triple endurance drills if he had heard any.

"Yes, Captain!" they chorused.

Seijuurou nodded and stepped around them.

"Captain Mikoshiba," Goro said as he stood to the side, making sure the three younger Iwatobi knights cleared the yard properly. "Will you be joining them for dinner?"

"It is unfortunate, but I will be unable to tonight," he said. "I'm afraid that I have little time to spare and since we ended early today, I felt I should get the errands my family asked of me completed while I can."

"A good idea," Goro acknowledged. "It'll save you the trouble at the end of the training," he grinned. "When we've worn you out."

Seijuurou smirked. "We'll see who wears who out," he chuckled. He gave the older man a bow of his head. "Have a good evening, Captain Sasabe."

"To you as well, Captain Mikoshiba," he said. The younger knight walked out of the courtyard and the blond captain looked back at his men. "Makoto, I'm leaving you to do the check. I'm going to retire for the night."

"Yes, Captain," the green-eyed brunette agreed.

"Err...Sir Tachibana," a voice said behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw the short, gray-haired Samezuka knight helping Nagisa carry over a heavy training dummy to the side. "Are you next in line to be captain?"

"Yes," Nagisa and Haruka answered as Haruka passed, carrying several wooden wasters over his shoulder.

Makoto laughed sheepishly and shook his head. "I'm not," he said. "At least, I don't think so."

"It's just not official," Nagisa assured the gray-haired knight.

"Oi," a low voice said behind them. Makoto looked over his shoulder. Rin was standing a few paces away with his sword resting over his right shoulder in a relaxed manner.

Makoto almost immediately felt the exasperation fill him. Rin had been eyeing Haruka the entire day; only kept back to his own drills by his captain. Now, with Captain Mikoshiba retired for the night, Rin could finally extend the invitation Makoto knew was coming.

At the sound of his voice, the other Samezuka knights in the midst of cleaning stopped to look towards him. "Sir Rin," Aiichirou began hesitantly. "We really should assist them in putting away the-"

His reminder was cut off as Rin moved his sword down and extended his point towards Haruka.

Blue eyes looked past the blade and towards Rin dully. "You're challenging me," he stated.

"Haru," Makoto began cautiously. He looked back at the challenging knight. "Rin."

"We'll clean up after we see who's better," Rin said, never taking his eyes off of Haruka. "Draw your sword."

Gloved hands gripped the hilt and pulled it out of the leather sheath. Makoto let out a heavy breath and ran a hand down his face.

"There isn't any stopping it," Nagisa voiced beside him. He suddenly turned and handed Makoto several wooden daggers he had been collecting before turning towards the remaining knights. "Everyone step back! Give them their room!"

"Nagisa!" Makoto exclaimed. Wonderful. They were being _encouraged._ He looked back at the two as everyone else moved towards the sides of the courtyard.

"First person to get a hit," Rin explained. "Makoto!" he shouted, keeping his hands on his sword as he took a guard across from Haruka. "Call for the start!"

He really didn't want to do this. "Haruka, Rin-"

"Call for the start, Mako," Haruka assured him without looking back.

The brown-haired man took a deep breath. He took a step to the side and exhaled slowly.

A clash of metal filled the courtyard and from the upper level, a young woman with light brown hair turned towards the open doors to the knights' quarters.

"They're still there," she said, more to herself than to the royal guard escorting her. She stopped on the brick path and turned.

"Your Highness," a male voice protested beside her. "Your are expected for dinner," he reminded her as he pushed up a set of glasses.

He was easily ignored. The princess walked down the path and to the knights' quarters. "We were early. There is still time," she dismissed casually.

"Princess!" the guard continued to protest. He looked torn between staying on track and waiting for her to return or going after her.

"Well?" the royal asked as she looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. "Are you not following?" she almost demanded. "You are to escort me, guard."

"Yes!" he swallowed nervously. "Of course, Your Highness!" He quickly made it back to her side, lingering a step behind her as she walked towards the edge of what looked like a viewing area above a large courtyard.

She craned her neck and looked over the side. "You've never seen the knights, have you?"

"I have, Your Highness. They were present when I was tested for the Royal Guards and I was present and on duty when the Samezuka Knights arrived," he reported confidently.

"But you've never _seen _them," she stressed as she looked back at him. She lifted her hand and made a small wave, urging him to come forward. "Take a look."

He didn't want to. Those men in their clunky, dirty armor were an affront to his good taste. How could they possibly fight in metal plates? It was absurd and unnecessary, especially when the royal guard was well-trained and suitable. However, he was unable to outrightly defy the young royal he had been assigned to escort. The guard hesitantly made his way to the edge and peered over.

In the dim light of the setting sun, he could make out two men standing across from each other, swords drawn.

They were not wearing armor, nor were they wearing uniforms. They were covered with dust and dirt; their boots showed intense wear and their weapons weren't shiny, as his sword was. At first glance, it was barbaric.

The dark pink-haired man made a move forward, taking an angled step as he moved his sword. The guard's eyes narrowed. Despite the movement, the knight's head did not bounce. It was almost as if he had slid smoothly into place.

Then, as the Samezuka knight moved, his opponent - an Iwatobi knight - made a simple turn of his knee and leaned back to avoid the attack, only to shift into another angle and move his sword up into an ascending attack.

The small, individual movements almost became one fluid, flawless one.

"The priestess who blesses the knights is rather familiar with them," the princess said beside him. "She once told me that the most impressive fight isn't one that has a lot of complexity; it is the one where a small, swift, and elegant movement is all that is needed to win."

* * *

Mentally, he went through the various things that his mother, grandmother, and younger sister had told him to bring with him and have blessed at the Water God's temple. A few prayer beads, bracelets, a necklace with a heavy metal charm, various pieces of other jewelry, and a ring with a stone that represented easy childbirth.

He had begrudgingly added to his initial baggage all the things his family had entrusted upon him like the dutiful son he was.

He still had topresent the gifts from Samezuka to the royal family the next night, at a smaller dinner with their host royals, as there was little opportunity to do so the night before.

Seijuurou couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh as he climbed up the path to the cliff-side temple. Even when he was away from Samezuka, he had duties as a captain and a nobleman to do. It further limited any free time.

The well kept, stone-lined path to the temple wound upwards, but the incline wasn't too bad. It was just further than he thought. He wanted to get the items blessed as soon as possible, as that day's planning seemed to shine light on his limited free time from then on out.

While his men were given more time to explore the city and had general time to themselves, he was going over meetings on tournament game play and reporting on other kingdom's knights with Captain Sasabe and Makoto. He also had official work he brought with him from Samezuka he needed to do and send back. Then, he needed to schedule time for his personal practice, as most of the day he spent over seeing the others.

This would be the only evening he would have completely free to go and he silently hoped that the temple was still accepting visitors. He saw several people still moving in and out of the temple gates and took that as a positive sign. If only Priestess Kou was on duty.

Another wave of disappointment hit him. She was free that evening in order to see her brother, meaning she was not on duty at the temple, which further meant that he would not see her. He at least wanted to properly greet her and thank her for her blessings.

Guiltily, a small part of Seijuurou chastised himself. While that wish wasn't a lie, it wasn't the complete truth either. He was intrigued by a young woman who had crossed a desert, wandered off on her own and brazenly tried to get into his citadel just to see her brother. From what Makoto had told him the night before, she had also snuck away to do so.

Seijuurou found that fascinating. It was daring and he respected those who gave everything their all.

Another sigh escaped him. Of course, he'd never have a chance to speak to her if he didn't have time to see her. So was life, he supposed. Duty came first: he was a knight and then a noble son. He had no real purpose to seek the young priestess out.

He reached the entrance of the temple and bowed to the attendants. "Good evening," he greeted. "I would like to request some blessings on several items on behalf of my family. Is a priestess available to perform them?"

"The elder priestess is currently leading prayers in the main chamber," one of the attendants told him. "After the prayers, she will bless the items presented to her."

"Wonderful," Seijuurou said as he handed a heavy pouch of coins. "Alms from my family to the Water God."

The coins were lifted and the attendants bowed. "Please walk directly down the hall. It is the final chamber at the end, Sir Knight."

Seijuurou nodded before continuing on his way. He lifted one hand and rubbed his shoulder. It was a bit tight. Perhaps he should ask about some sort of masseuse while they were there. They must've had them in Iwatobi, too, right? As he walked through the temple's main corridor, he looked around.

There were water and fountains everywhere and open courtyards that led out to gardens and views of the ocean. Even up there, he could clearly hear the sound of the crashing waves on the cliffs below. It was surprisingly calming to someone who had grown up in the desert.

As he neared the chamber, he looked out towards one of the gardens and found his feet coming to a stop. There was a good sized pond to one side and standing beside it, tossing bits of fish food into it, was a young woman in thin, breezy blue clothes. She was barefooted and had jewelry adorning her wrists, ankles, neck, and even her long, straight burgundy hair.

She balanced a small basket at her hip as she stuck her hand into it, took out another handful and tossed it over the water.

Gou squinted in the dim lighting of lanterns dotting the garden as she made sure that her favorite fish were fed. Sometimes, the larger ones got too aggressive and the little ones she was particularly found of didn't get to eat. She drew her hand back to try to toss the food pellets further out, where the small ones were left.

"Need help?" a male voice asked behind her. She turned around, her heart jumping to her throat as she hoped to see her brother. A smiling face was greeting her from the steps to the corridor and her hopeful look fell.

"Oh...Captain," she said. She tried to smile welcomingly, but was disappointed it wasn't Rin. She bowed her head. "Good evening."

"Priestess Kou," he said, bowing in return. "Feeding the fish?"

"Yes, if I don't do it, the little ones won't have a chance to get food," she pointed out. "I'm trying to it back there."

Seijuurou slung the small sack he was carrying over his shoulder. "May I?" he asked, motioning towards the basket. Gou nodded and held it out. He grabbed a handful and threw them as far back as he could.

They could make out the little ripples in the water as the fish began to feed. Her face lit up. "Wonderful, thank you! Now they're eating!"

Seijuurou chuckled. "You must love these fish."

"I put them in there," Gou beamed. "Each year, when there is a festival, I've caught some fish and I'd put them here." She paused and looked away. "Actually, I ask Makoto and the others to catch them. They're much better at it."

"Sir Tachibana?" Seijuurou asked. He could see the tall man catching festival fish for her, but the other two knights seemed either too uninterested or scared fish away with excitement.

Gou nodded as she walked towards the side of the temple, where there was a cabinet beside a sack of fish food. "Yes, when I was younger, I was only allowed to wander the festival if I was with them. Thank the Water God that Makoto talked to the head priestess about my little foray into the desert. If it weren't for him, I would've been forbidden to leave for at least a lunar month and I wouldn't get the chance to see my brother."

Seijuurou jerked his head back. "Oh, right," he nodded. He took a step back. "I apologize, Priestess Kou. I had heard that your brother was coming to see you tonight. I didn't mean to take up your time." It was both a relief and somewhat pathetic that he was satisfied with just a glimpse and short exchange of words.

"Not to worry," she assured him as she put the basket on the cabinet. "When the attendants see him, they've been instructed to send him out here, to the southern garden." She paused and clasped her hands together. "You wouldn't by any chance have seen him have you?"

"They were just finishing up when I left," Seijuurou assured her. "He may be a high ranking knight, but he is still required to clean up after himself once practice is over. Not to mention that he has to eat and then check on his horse." He gave her a smile. "I'm sure he'll come up as soon as he's finished."

His words relieved her and Gou nodded. She craned her neck and looked at the bag he was carrying with him. "Did you come to give gifts to the Water God?"

He looked at his bag and shook his head. "Oh, no. These aren't gifts - but I did give alms," he assured her, not wanting to look disrespectful. "These are from my mother and the rest of my family. They asked to have the items blessed while I was here."

"You should've said so earlier!" Gou said as she beamed. She stepped past him and waved a hand to have him follow. "I'll bless them for you."

"You can do that?" he asked. "I mean...," he shook his head. "I know you can. You are a priestess. I only thought that since you are not on duty right now..."

"That's just a technicality. I'm still a priestess even when I'm not officially leading prayers," she chuckled. "Come to the fountain," she instructed as she walked across a well kept grass lawn. There was a large, oval shaped, sunken fountain that had stone steps leading down into it. A large shell was left on an elaborate iron pedestal by the top step and as she passed, Gou picked it up and placed it against her hip.

"Do I need to come in?" Seijuurou asked. Gou shook her head as she waded into the water. The bottoms of her robes began to get wet.

"No, only priestesses and attendants are allowed in," she told him. "Lay the items that need to be blessed on that stone slab there," she said, pointing to a smooth, flat piece of marble to one side. "Put them in a line."

"Alright." Carefully, the captain removed the pieces from the bag and arranged them beside each other. He knew better than to simply dump the contents on to the stone. If one of the items broke, he'd never hear the end of it from his mother.

As he moved his hands over the items, he heard splashing and lifted his head. Gou was moving in a circle, thigh deep in water, while dragging the shell around her, gently skimming the surface with its edge. She was quietly reciting prayers as water gathered in the shell.

A small smile tugged at his lips. If he had thought she was cute when he saw her in Samezuka, he was at a loss of words to how to describe her when she was in her element. Her graceful movements, her sweet voice. He almost laughed to himself.

He almost couldn't believe she was the same woman who had snuck into a carriage and stowed away in silence for an entire day until she crossed a desert.

Gou lifted the half filled shell in the direction of the moon before lowering it after the completion of her prayers. She carefully carried the large shell out with her as she sloshed out of the fountain and towards the slab.

Holding the shell against her hip with one hand, she reached across with the other and scooped up water. A handful was poured over each piece. "On behalf of the Water God, I bless this item," she repeated over each one. Once she was done, she turned and returned the remaining water into the fountain and hung up the shell. "Alright!" she said. "You need to let them air dry."

"Can't I just wipe them dry?" Seijuurou asked, kneeling beside the low slab.

"You can't!" Gou said, holding her hands out and shaking her head. "It's disrespectful to the Water God. If you wipe them dry, you're saying you do not need his blessing!"

That made sense. "Oh...then, may I sit here and wait?" he asked.

"Of course!" Gou said.

He bowed his head. "Then, thank you, Priestess of the Water God."

Gou continued to smile. "It's my pleas...," she trailed off. "No," she suddenly said. "Actually, it is an honor," she told him as she knelt down on the other side of the slab. She lowered her body over her knees. "I should be thanking _you_, Captain," she insisted. "I've been rude. I had asked something of you and you were able to do it. If you hadn't brought my brother here, I don't know when I'd see him again."

He honestly didn't think he had done her any favors. "I wanted to do it," he told her. "I am certain that your brother missed Iwatobi and his family, but he is dedicated. He would not bring up such an issue." He recalled Rin sitting on the dunes, watching the sunset in the direction of his homeland. "This will be good to clear his mind. A knight who can think clearly is more effective."

"Regardless," Gou insisted, still postrated. "You went out of your way, Captain. I am eternally grateful."

Seijuurou smiled softly. A calloused, sun-tanned hand hesitantly reached across the slab towards her. "Priestess-"

"Oh, and I have something for you!" She shot up from her position and Seijuurou immediately pulled his arm back, quickly pretending to use it to straighten a random part of his gambeson as she rose to her feet. "It is as thanks for paying for my meal in Samezuka."

"Priestess, that's quite unnecessary," he assured her. It was the gallant thing to do, after all.

"No, no! I insist!" Gou said as she brushed off her wet robes and turned towards the temple. "I'll be right back!" She shouted over her shoulder. "Don't leave!"

Seijuurou knew that his business was done there and that he needed to wake early the next morning and should've started to return to the knights' quarters. However, despite knowing all of that, the visiting Samezuka captain found himself rooted to his spot.

A few more moments, he thought to himself, couldn't hurt.

* * *

His chest was heaving with heavy breaths as he kept his mouth shut in order to force his breathing through his nose. Sweat made his thick hair stick to his skull as they pulled themselves away from each other, each taking two steps back in order to keep out of striking distance of the other while disengaging.

Across from him, Haruka conserved his energy. He remained still, his arms holding his grip, but keeping his sword in a lower guard so as not to strain his arms.

Rin was faster and stronger than Haruka remembered. He was more aggressive, as well. Experience had helped teach him and forced him to improve. Talent lost to hard work.

Haruka moved to the side, moving his sword in front of him. Rin countered, stepping at another angle to keep Haruka's body aligned in front of him in order to get a good hit in. Their movements were almost simultaneous; their tempos were matching.

Makoto couldn't help but watch critically as the two attacked and countered, and then countered again. Haruka was talented and Rin had worked hard, but Haruka had as well and with his sword always kept between him and Rin's blade, his practice showed.

It almost looked like an even match. Even the other Samezuka knights mumbled to themselves that Haruka, from the small, seemingly inexperienced Iwatobi, was surprisingly good.

However, Rin's experience reading the bodies of his opponents was better than Haruka's and he knew how to set up another man. Purposely, he lifted his arm a bit too high. Haruka saw the gap and moved forward.

That small, wasted bit of time was all Rin needed. His sword came down, knocking Haruka's down just enough to allow his blade over the guards as he ran his edge up. Haruka tilted his guards to stop the moving blade, but it was too late.

Rin's sword lifted from Haruka's and he turned it back. A solid, metal pommel barely stopped from making impact on Haruka's jaw.

Sharp eyes narrowed almost gleefully as a wide smile appeared on Rin. "Pommel to the face," he stated clearly as the surrounding men clapped at the display. "I would've broken your jaw."

Blue eyes moved from Rin's face to the metal sword end. "Good job." Rin nearly jerked his head back at the unenthused response. "That was a good hit."

Rin's eyes hardened. "Of course it was," he agreed, as if it were obvious. "I didn't spend years away to be lacking in any point."

Haruka nodded. Rin stepped back, slowly pulling his sword away. Haruka should've been more frustrated. Hadn't he wanted to battle it out, too? Why wasn't he irritated that he lost?

"Do you want to keep going?" Rin's hands tightened on his grip as his jaw clenched. "A broken jaw would set me back, but it wouldn't stop me," Haruka pointed out far too casually for Rin's taste.

Haruka as right. A pommel injury would've hurt, but it wouldn't have been enough. In addition, if Rin hadn't pulled off the pommel attack, Haruka's sword would've still kept him safe. The brunette's defense was tight.

The sudden realization hit Rin. He couldn't get an actual strike in with his blade. _Every single attack _was countered or parried. Was getting that hit with the pommel in simply luck? His victory suddenly felt meaningless.

He gripped his sword once more and stepped back, preparing to shift into another guard. He opened his mouth invite Haruka into another match, but a figure quickly got between them.

"Alright, alright," Makoto moved between the two men and held his arms up. "That's enough. It's already dark," he said, pointing towards the sky. "And we're not done yet. Nagisa, light the lanterns. We need to put away the equipment before we go to the garrison for dinner!"

A few murmurs of acknowledgement were heard and Makoto turned to the two men as the other knights dispersed and returned to their duties. Before Makoto could tell the two combatants to put their weapons away, Rin let out a snort.

He turned around sharply and began to walk away. "Rin," Haruka called out.

"What?" the other man sneered as he looked over his shoulder. He wouldn't let a technicality of never actually cutting Haruka rob him of the victory he had been waiting for. "If you want a rematch, you'll have to do better than that."

Haruka shook his head. "How long do you plan on staying?"

Rin narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? I'm only here because the captain-"

"No, Rin," Makoto sighed. "It's dark already," he pointed out once more.

"I know that, Makoto, I can see," Rin said with a roll of his eyes. He bent down and grabbed a practice stave from the ground. "I'm not going to ignore my duties. Captain Mikoshiba would have my head."

"We didn't mean that-" Makoto tried to placate.

"Mako!" Nagisa called. "Do you have to the key to the storage cell?" Makoto wanted to say more, but Rin had already turned around and ignored him. Shaking his head, Makoto reached under his shirt to get out a small key ring hanging from around his neck.

While the amount of equipment wasn't much to put away compared to the citadel in Samezuka, they also had less people; six of whom had no idea where things went. In the end, after all the items were gathered in one area, Makoto dismissed the other knights, saying that he would put the rest of the items away.

Nagisa escorted them to the garrison and showed them where to get food, although Rin had rolled his eyes and muttered that he already knew. As they sat around, eating some stewed concoction, the other knights were discussing their host knights abilities.

"Rin, are you still here?" He turned around as he heard Makoto exclaim. The brown-haired man looked surprised.

"What?" Rin smirked. "Haruka isn't with you? Did he not want to eat in the same place as the man who bested him?"

"No, that isn't it," Makoto furrowed his brows. "Aren't you supposed to see Gou tonight?"

The smirk was immediately wiped off Rin's face. In the dim candlelight of the room, his face paled. He could feel several sets of eyes looking at him, _judging _him.

"You forgot," Nagisa said aloud.

"Shut up!" Rin snapped as he shot up from his seat. She'd hate him, he thought. He couldn't believe it. He really did forget. He had just told her the night before that he'd go see her and not a day later, he had already forgotten?

"That's a bit cruel, Rin," Makoto said sadly. "Gou has been so excited-"

"I know that!" Rin hissed as he pushed his stool back and pushed away from the table.

"Sir Rin, you didn't finish-"

"Aiichirou, feed my horse tonight when you're feeding yours!" Rin said as rushed past Makoto, towards the door. "I'll return the favorite tomorrow!" he shouted as he fled the garrison.

Makoto sighed. "I tried to tell him earlier," he said as he shook his head.

"Mako," Nagisa asked from where he was seated over a nearly empty bowl. "Where's Haru?"

"You know Haru," Makoto said fondly as he headed for the food line. "He's still practicing."

* * *

His gold eyes were focused on the various trinkets on the stone in front of them. The water that had been doused over them had almost dried completely, but left small, wet puddles beneath them. In between wondering if putting them away now was disrespectful to the Water God or not, Seijuurou found himself wondering if Priestess Kou had forgotten about him.

He was still sitting beside the stone slab, on bent knees with his arms crossed in front of him. She did say to wait, but she seemed to have been gone too long. Surely, it wouldn't take her that long to go fetch something from her room. To his understanding, the priestesses lived at the temple. Was he wrong?

Then, there was the other, more likely scenario: Rin had arrived and she had completely forgotten about him in favor of her brother. Rin should've arrived already, after all.

Seijuurou nodded to himself. Yes, that was probably what had happened and he couldn't blame her. That was why he was still sitting there, alone and staring at his grandmother's necklace as water evaporated off it. At least he had the items blessed.

His shoulders relaxed. And, he had a chance to see her again.

A small smile appeared on his lips once more as his expression softened. He'd had a chance to see her perform a ceremony all to himself. He should've been honored. What more could he want?

Seijuurou leaned forward and began to push himself up.

"I'm sorry!" As he got to his feet, he turned towards the temple's main hall and saw a young woman running towards him with something clenched in her hand. Gou was flushed and panting as she reached him. "My elder priestess needed me to assist with something. I didn't think it would take that long!" she nearly wheezed and she stumbled to a stop. As she placed her hands on her knees and bent over to try to catch her breath, she looked up and offered him a smile. "Thank you for not leaving!"

He hoped that she couldn't see his face reddening in the moonlight. "Of course I wouldn't," he told her nervously. "I was just getting up to stretch my legs. I've been sitting for a while-" He grimaced. "I mean...they were just getting tired. I'm not used to sitting like that," he rambled. "Not even for short amounts of time. Such as now," he continued stupidly. "I wasn't waiting long at all!"

Gou bit her lips to try to keep from giggling. "You are too kind, Captain," she smiled. She took a deep breath and stood up straight. She lifted both her hands and presented him with a small, white cloth folded into a square. "Please accept this with my thanks!"

She bowed her head and Seijuurou looked down at the cloth in her small, pale hands. The edges were embroidered with what looked like little black arrows between a black border. It was the Duchy of Samezuka's official pattern. It was even burned into the leather of his sheath.

"This...is for me?" he asked unsurely. Gou kept her head down and nodded.

"Yes," she insisted. "Thank you for the meal in Samezuka, for escorting me back, and for making good on your promise, Captain." She gasped and looked up. "However, if you'd prefer money to pay you back for your meal, I can-"

"No!" Seijuurou nearly shouted in protest as he shook his head. "Priestess, you needn't repay me with anything," he told seriously.

"I insist," Gou said.

The orange haired man let out a heavy breath. He slowly nodded and gingerly picked up the cloth with one hand. He was careful not to grasp hers, for fear of exposing his suddenly clammy hands.

As he unfolded it, he noticed that the embroidery went all the way around the square sheet and that it was a handkerchief. In black thread, the word "captain" was embroidered in one corner.

"Thank you for the handkerchief, Priestess Kou," he answered as he held his sacred gift in his hands and bowed. Gou clasped her hands behind her and beamed.

"You're welcome." Silently, she hoped that he wouldn't question the embroidery. Since she couldn't remember his name and didn't want to ask any of the knights, she decided to just embroider his title. That in itself had taken longer than she thought it would and was relieved she didn't try to embroider his entire name. "I hope you like it."

"I do. Did you do the 'captain' on it, too?" he asked while trying to fight down the giddy smile threatening to appear.

Gou nodded. "I hope you don't mind that it's just your title," she said. "I...um...didn't know how to spell your name." That sounded plausible and it wasn't a lie.

He continued to stare down at the cloth and ran his fingers over the black thread of his title. She had make it for him...especially for him. "It's very well done," he told her as he met his eyes once more. "Thank you." He began to fold it carefully. "And my surname is Mikoshiba, spelled like the fish."

"Captain Mikoshiba...," Gou repeated to herself.

Her speaking his title and last name seemed to only warm his face. "Priestess," he began as he took a small step forward. "Please call me-"

"Captain Mikoshiba!?" A heavy breathing, gasping voice shouted from the temple and Gou turned around as Seijuurou lifted his head and looked past her shoulder. Standing by one of the columns of the hall, leaning against it as he bent over, panting for breath while showing signs of sweat along his forehead, was Rin. Uncertain eyes went from his captain to his sister; wondering what exactly they were doing in the garden, at night, _alone_.

"Rin!" Gou's face lit up as she ran towards him. "You came!"

He gave her a weak, tired smile as he stood up and held his arms open, expecting his younger sister to run into his arms as she did when she was a child. "Gou-"

"You're late!" Her smiling face twisted into a disapproving frown as she seemed to skid to a stop and stand before him. Rin held his arms up a bit longer, but Gou made no move to embrace him. Surprisingly, this disappointed him. "The Captain said you just had to clean up, eat, and feed your horse. Did it take you that long!?"

Dark pink eyes flickered back to his commanding officer. So, Captain Mikoshiba _had_ been speaking to his sister.

"My apologies," Seijuurou said suddenly as he knelt down to gather the now dry blessed items. "I was the one who assigned the tasks." He actually didn't think they would take that long. "I had forgotten that Matsuoka was to come here tonight."

Rin eyed his captain unsurely. Was the older knight taking the blame? He had no doubt that his captain knew he had rushed there from the ragged look he had upon arrival. He also didn't doubt that Captain Mikoshiba knew how long it would take to complete those assigned tasked. Did this mean that the senior knight knew that something else had taken up Rin's time?

The orange-haired man adjusted the bag he was carrying and stood up. Rin gave him a bow of his head.

"Are you heading back?" Gou asked as she remained standing beside her brother. Seijuurou nodded.

"I still have correspondence to finish and send back. Then, we have an early endurance training tomorrow morning." He looked pointed at Rin. "I trust you won't be late for _that_, Matsuoka?"

"No, Captain," Rin replied stiffly.

"Good." The older man looked back at Gou as he passed the siblings. "Have a good evening, Priestess Kou."

She quickly placed her hands in front of her and bowed. "Thank you again, Captain. And please," she said as she stood up. "Visit our temple again before your leave. I will bless you for a safe journey home."

Rin felt bumps raise on his skin as he watched his normally serious, yelling captain give his younger sister a small, intent smile and a gentle gaze. Seijuurou gave her a small nod as he paused at the top of the steps.

"I will be sure to do so, Priestess." Rin's eyes crinkled up. What was with that kind, charming voice? That wasn't the captain he knew! The captain he knew was gruff and growled orders, demanding attention and perfection from his men. "Good night." Rin made a disturbed face.

"Good night!" Gou gave the older knight a wave before he disappeared into the temple.

"Gou," Rin began as his eyes remained on the steps where his captain had been. "What was Captain Mikoshiba doing here?"

"He was getting some things blessed for his family," his sister replied.

"That was all?" Rin asked, turning back to her. "Just getting things blessed?"

She raised a brow and gave him an incredulous look. "What else would he be doing at the temple?"

Rin swallowed a lump in his throat. "Nothing," he said, more to himself than to his sister. "I'm sure it's nothing."

* * *

**A Note From The Author:**

Hello again and thank you for reading! With this, FF is all caught up with the story on AO3. I am going to now start slowly building up the SeiGou. That's about it for now. Once more, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! Thank you again for your time, patience, and for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Accressere**

Chapter 4

by MiaVortice

*All Standard Disclaimers Apply: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

The more he watched, the more fascinating the movements became. The knight's sword moved in his hands, adjusting its angle and position while still held by two hands. The elbows, the dark-haired royal guard observed, seemed to be the power that extended, pulled back, and moved the sword.

Rei held his arms in front of him, his dominant hand over his weaker one as he mimicked the guard position of the black-haired knight training alone in the courtyard below.

"Pull back the elbow...," he muttered under his breath. His imaginary sword was moved back. "Twist the pommel...lower the pommel..."

"Now extend your left arm using your elbow," another voice instructed behind him. "Not your right forearm."

"Extend my left-" A sharp gasp escaped his lips as his arms flailed out in all directions. He jumped back, forcing his arms to his sides as he tried to regain his composure and dignity.

Smiling widely before him was the short, blond knight. "Hello!" he greeted. "Are you interested in becoming a knight?"

"What? No!" Rei shook his head, as if the very idea were absurd. He lifted one hand and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I'm afraid you are mistaken Sir...?"

"Hazuki," the blond beamed as he grasped his hands behind his back. "But you can call me Nagisa!"

"Sir Hazuki," Rei asserted. "As I've said, you are mistaken. I was merely observing and find the man below's form interesting."

Nagisa peered over the side and nodded. "It is different from what the royal guards use, isn't it?" he said. "You use thinner blades with a basket guard."

"Rapiers."

"Yes, and they're good for thrusting," Nagisa said.

"They're more refined in their movement and use," Rei told him proudly. "They're far more graceful than those clunky long swords you all still use. They're quite archaic, don't you think?"

Nagisa nodded. "Yes, but they serve their purpose well on the battle field. Rapiers are smaller and a bit more agile. Good for stabbing at the body quickly." He paused and chuckled. "But they are civilian tools."

Rei narrowed his eyes. "I assure you, Sir Hazuki, the rapier is more than just a civilian weapon-"

"Tool...what is your name?" Nagisa squinted.

"Ryugazaki Rei-"

"Rei!" Nagisa nodded. "The swords are tools, not weapons. They are items to be used. They can't hurt you by themselves. As a knight, you are trained to_ be _the weapon." He drew his sword smoothly from his side and proceeded to do continuous ascending and descending cuts in front of him as he took a step forward. Rei found himself stepping back with each of Nagisa's steps. "Whatever is in your hands simply becomes an extension of you," the blond told him knowingly. "And in the right hands, this sword is far from clunky."

The movement was swift, coming up from a low position to rest on Rei's chest. The dark-haired man shuddered as his heart slammed against his chest. The circular movements of the attacks were kept close to the body, rotating perfectly in front of the knight so that each movement matched a smooth step forward.

There was no over extension of the legs or a stance that was too far distanced. It was balanced.

In the back of Rei's mind, it was also beautiful.

"Nagisa," a voice called from the courtyard below. The blond perked and lowered his sword, quickly sheathing it as he rushed to the side and lifted a hand in the air to wave.

"Haru!" he beamed. "Sorry! Did we break your concentration?"

"What are you doing here?" Haruka asked from the yard. He sheathed his sword at his side, signaling that he was done for the night.

An excited look filled Nagisa's face. "I found someone who is interested!"

"What? No!" Rei choked out. He moved to the side of the upper level and shook his head. "I'm not!"

"Don't be shy!" Nagisa assured him. "We'll train you if you feel uncomfortable with a sword."

"I'm_ not_ uncomfortable with a sword!" Rei retorted sharply. "I am not interested in becoming a knight. I am a _royal guard_!"

"That's not a problem," Nagisa insisted. "I'm sure you can transition over easily."

"I'm not going to become a knight," Rei stressed. He narrowed his eyes, giving Nagisa a glare as he stepped away from the side. He turned away, preparing to walk out of the quarters.

"Are you sure?" Nagisa asked. Rei froze in mid step as he felt a hand squeezing at his arm and poking his shoulder. "You have a good physique and your arms are used to holding a weapon. I think you'll fit in well!"

Rei let out a deep breath and pulled away from Nagisa, sending the shorter man a glare. "I am a royal guard," he repeated with as much conviction as he could muster. "And I have no plans to change that." He gave Nagisa a small bow of his head. "Good night to you, Sir Hazuki."

He turned on his heel and marched purposefully out of the knights' courtyard. "Good night, Rei!" he cringed as he heard the youngest knight cheerfully bid him. "And come back at any time! We're having an exhibition with Samezuka at the end of the week, so see you then!" As Rei disappeared through the gates without once turning back, Nagisa's enthusiasm dropped to a heavy, disappointed sigh. "I hope..."

"Nagisa," a voice said behind him. He turned around and saw Haruka reaching the top of the steps. "You can't force him to become a knight. I know you are trying hard, but forcing them may turn them away instead."

"I know," Nagisa admitted. "But I really want people to join. And you should've seen him, Haru. He was watching you very carefully! He's interested," the blond insisted. "I can feel it!"

A hand rested atop Nagisa's head. "I know, but don't worry too much about it."

Nagisa nodded. "Oh, I did come to see you with a purpose," he piped. "The garrison is closed now, so we saved you some food. Mako said he'd bring it to your room. It's your favorite - grilled mackerel."

To the untrained eye, Haruka's slight perk of his head and the momentary pause of his body would've been missed, but Nagisa saw it.

"I am a bit hungry now," Haruka stated. "Thank you, Nagisa." Proudly, the blond nodded. "You should go get rest, too," he said. "We have an early day tomorrow."

* * *

Her room always had a nice sea breeze and that morning was no exception. One of her windows was always left open in order to let in the fresh air, even if the young woman, who was currently sprawled face down on her modest bed, wasn't doing anything to make use of it.

As she stirred from her sleep, she could hear the ocean crashing into the cliffs below the temple. It was quite calming and she recalled that the night she had spent in Samezuka was actually quite a fitful night, having been unused to the lack of ocean sounds.

A knock came from her door across her room as Gou buried her face in her arms. She was sure it wasn't time for her to get up yet.

"Priestess Kou?" one of her usual attendants asked. "Priestess Kou, are you awake?"

She held her tongue to keep from replying that 'no, she was not'. She further nestled herself under her sheets.

"Priestess Kou," the attendant repeated. "Princess Chigusa is here to see you."

"Eh?" Gou squinted her eyes. "Hana?" She pushed herself up, lifting a hand to wipe the remaining drool from the corner of her mouth as she slid her legs over the side of the bed and stumbled to a vanity table. "One moment!" she called out. "Allow me to change!"

"Yes, Priestess...what, Highness?" Gou ran her brush through her hair to quickly straighten it before reaching for a ribbon to tie it up with. "Er...alright...Priestess!"

"In a moment!" Gou repeated.

"Princess Chigusa requests your time immediately. She says it is urgent!"

Gou furrowed her brows, but none-the-less grabbed informal robes and quickly slipped into them. She slid her feet into a pair of comfortable sandals before heading towards her door and pulling it open.

"What is it?" she asked.

A hand immediately clamped on her wrist. "Let's go!" Iwatobi's princess announced before pulling her forward.

"What? Hana!" Gou choked out as she stumbled forward, after the royal. She hadn't even had a chance to really wash her face or put on any of her usual jewelry. "What are you doing here so early? What's going on?"

"I saw something yesterday," the princess said in a serious voice as she dragged her friend forward, ignoring the curious looks of others in the temple as they made their way to the front. "And I think you'll want to see it, too."

"Eh?" Gou blinked. "What am I going to see?"

"You'll see when we get back to the castle." They reached the front of the temple and a royal guard who had been standing by the entrance stepped forward.

"Your Highness, your carriage is-"

"I see it, Ryugazaki," Hana cut him off quickly. "And I told you I did not to be escorted to the temple. You were to wait with my carriage."

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but I was under strict orders to-"

"Never mind," Hana sighed tiredly. Ahead of them, a footman opened the door to a carriage and the princess climbed in. Gou, still unsure of why she was being picked up from the temple that early, got into the carriage with her.

"Hana, why are we going to the castle?" The carriage jerked forward.

"I heard from the head priestess last night that you are on duty later today, so your morning is free," Hana smirked, proud of herself. "I thought you'd like to watch your brother training before the exhibitions at the end of the week."

Gou's red eyes went wide. "I didn't think about that!" The royal crossed her arms over her chest and nodded, satisfied. "Thank you, Hana!"

The brown-haired young woman let out a small snicker. "I'm sure you'll find their training most enjoyable."

They reached the castle and Hana quickly ushered her out. Even as they cut through the castle's interior halls and one of the courtyards, then two gardens, the princess's royal guard was following behind them. As they turned a corner, he furrowed his brows.

"Your Highness, the knight's courtyard is in that direction," the glasses-wearing guard pointed out as his steps slowed.

"We're not going to the courtyard," the princess said with a wave of her hand. "We're going to the southern garden!" Gou furrowed her brows. That garden overlooked the beach.

"Why are we going there?" Gou asked as she found herself chasing the princess down one of the stone paths that led of the edge of the garden.

"Because," Hana panted slightly as she stopped at the low wall and extended her hand over to the beach view below. "_They're _down there."

Gou stepped forward and craned her head over the side. She heard the rhythmic counting and the occasional shouts before she saw who they belonged to. Her eyes went wide as a handful of men were seen jogging in two lines towards the castle walls. From the footprints on the sand, she could see multiple tracks, meaning they had been running back and forth.

Hana chuckled. "Every morning since the second day, they've been doing endurance running," she explained. Her lips pulled upwards into a smug smile. "Shirtless."

Gou was leaning over the low wall, her eyes glazed over as an elated look graced her face. Her friend knew her far too well, a small voice in the back of her mind chided, but it didn't matter.

"Those deltoids...those traps...," she sighed happily. "Look how they move...so smooth and defined...oh...beautiful."

Behind them, Rei's eyes crinkled up with discomfort as he listened to the Water God's priestess oggle the knights. He didn't really know her, but he certainly wasn't expecting to see her divulging in such an activity.

"I think our knights are actually quite good-looking," Hana pointed out as she leaned against the wall with Gou. "Not to say that Big Brother Rin or the knights from Samezuka aren't."

"Yes," Gou nodded. "They're all very well toned. It's not surprising that they're tournament champions."

"They have nice faces, too."

"Look at the way the muscles on their sides move with each movement, Hana! The stretching, the contracting...," Gou sighed.

"Are you even listening?" Hana raised a brow.

"Do you think they do their training dressed like that in Samezuka?" Gou mused, her eyes raking across the various bodies as they approached. "Probably not, due to the sun and heat...that's a shame."

Hana sighed. She'd lost Gou. "Ryugazaki," the princess ordered as she looked back at the guard lingering behind them. "Have the kitchen staff prepare breakfast and bring it out here. The priestess and I will have the morning meal outside."

"Yes, Your Highness." The dutiful guard bowed and rushed to the hall.

Hana looked back at Gou and nudged her playfully. "So...who do you think looks best?"

"Makoto's traps are always a favorite, but Haruka's deltoids...," Gou trailed off, her face scrunching up as she tried to make what she deemed a difficult decision. Perhaps if she were to combine the two...

"Not of them!" Hana sighed. "They don't count. They're like your brothers. Ah," she shook her head. "And you can't pick your brother, either."

"Hmm...from Samezuka, then," Gou rubbed her chin and squinted. Her eyes were automatically drawn to the captain jogging at the front of the line. Perhaps it was because, aside from her brother, he was the most familiar of the guests. Every now and then, with every other step, he'd yell something and the knights would reply.

Broad shoulders, smooth skin, well-defined muscles that seemed to melt into each other rather than stick out too jaggedly. His body was balanced and his shoulder to waist ratio was...rather good.

"I like the captain," Hana said as she rested her elbows on the wall and held her head in her hands. "He's tall and commanding..."

"Break to stretch!" the orange-haired captain's deep voice ordered, causing the lines behind him to break apart as the knights moved to stretch their bodies.

His arms rose over his head and he stretched to the side, emphasizing the muscles along his chest and back. Gou's face heated up and her chest suddenly felt like it was swelling. He was certainly built like a warrior with a larger frame than her brother's, yet still lean and flexible.

"He's not bad..." She knew it was an understatement even as she said it.

As he turned, he lifted his head and caught sight of the two young woman peering down at them from the castle.

Seijuurou blinked. Had he been running for too long and collapsed? He could've sworn that one of them was the priestess.

"Ah! It's Gou!" the blond Iwatobi knight called out earnestly. Nagisa stopped in the middle of his stretching and raised an arm in the air, enthusiastically waving at the priestess and the princess. "Gou! Gou!" he shouted.

Her eyes narrowed. "It's Priestess Kou!" she shouted back on instinct. Seijuurou barely held back a muffled laugh.

"Good morning, Priestess and Princess!" Makoto greeted with a bow. Haruka and Rin both followed, with Nagisa only doing so after he realized that the others were as well.

"Good morning, knights!" Hana greeted as regally as she could for someone who had just been caught eyeing the men. As they returned back to their stretching, she noticed the Duchy's captain looking towards them. Behind the wall, she grasped Gou's arm. "He's looking at us!" she whispered.

"No, he's not. He's stretching," Gou pointed out. Hana wrinkled her nose and looked at the young priestess with disbelief.

"Not your brother," she replied in a low voice. "_Captain Mikoshiba_."

"He is?" Gou looked back at the orange-haired man.

Seijuurou forced his face not to flush as her eyes fell upon him. Silently, his mind chanted a mantra: _don't do anything stupid, don't do anything stupid. _

His hand rose slightly and gave her an awkward little wave, as if he were uncertain of what else to do. _Idiot!_

"Did he wave at you?" Hana asked, her eyes widening. Her friend had told her that they met in Samezuka and that he had escorted her back. Then, the other day, Gou had told her that the visiting captain had come to the temple to get some things blessed and he had seemed very touched at the handkerchief she had embroidered for him. The princess' eyes narrowed. Coincidence? She was starting to doubt is was so.

"Who?" Gou asked. She heard Captain Sasabe's voice below yelling for them to do one more jog up the beach and back before they would go get breakfast.

"Captain Mikoshiba!" Hana exclaimed, exasperated. Gou had clearly not been paying attention. A small part of the royal suddenly pitied the orange-haired captain. If what she suspected was true, then he had a long, frustrating fight ahead of him.

"I don't know. Was he?" The princess ran a hand down her face. Gou looked back at the knights as they began jogging away. Hana shook her head.

That poor, orange-haired captain...

* * *

He knew that he was going to be sent documents to review and agreements to look over even while he was abroad. He couldn't escape his duty, after all, nor did he plan to. He was raised to be responsible. Unfortunately, Seijuurou had not foreseen that documents would be sent to him _every day_.

Messengers from Samezuka seemed to have been sent out one after another with messages from the other captains, his superiors, as well as the men he left to lead the remaining knights in his absence. They were coupled with piles of papers he had to read and sign off on as well as applications he was asked to review.

This was some way to spend his morning; barricaded by files and packages in his guest room at the knights' quarters, hunched over a desk and signing his name for what seemed to be the billionth time. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he looked out his window. It boasted a nice view of the town and, if he looked outside of it, he'd see the ocean as well.

His hand tightened on his writing utensil as his fingers hovered over a piece of parchment. If he wasn't stuck doing catch-up work, he would've joined his men on the boating trip around the bay and surrounding islands with the Iwatobi knights.

Captain Sasabe offered to take them on his boat and the Samezuka knights, who had never been to the ocean, were eager to take him up on it. Seijuurou sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked back at the paper in front of him. Someone had to keep an eye on the knights and so, he assigned the most senior of them to the job.

That hadn't gone well a few hours ago, when the next most senior knight - Rin - had a visitor.

The Priestess had arrived early in the morning with the hope of spending the day with her brother. Rin, however, had been assigned as a chaperone for the younger Samezuka knights and could not go with her.

From his room, Seijuurou had heard Rin telling his sister he had a duty and when Sir Tachibana offered to bring her along, as he was sure Captain Sasabe wouldn't mind - it wasn't official knight training, after all, the Priestess had hissed that it was fine and that she didn't want to get in the way.

Her sharp words made him cringe and, admittedly, he had been afraid to go outside and accidentally be confronted by the disappointed and upset young woman. It was his fault to begin with anyway.

If he had only been able to keep up with his work load, then he could've gone with his knights and Rin could've spent his free day with his sister.

Seijuurou shook his head, trying to shake off the guilt. He had a reason and it was an important one. His reports back to Lord Samezuka could prevent a war and that was far more important than a bay cruise.

He drew his words across the paper once more, making sure to be clear and methodological in his explanations.

In his few days there, he had made general observations and a few small ones that hinted at a non-threat. First, the rumors Samezuka heard were wrong. Iwatobi was not amassing an army of knights. If anything, they were struggling to get recruits. He could count one and that had only been because Sir Hazuki had stressed the importance of their upcoming exhibition in order to 'convince Rei'. Whoever 'Rei' was.

Seijuurou also noticed that despite the large amount of royal guards, they were no match for an army. They didn't have the weapons or the training to count as such. At the most, they did a fine job with guarding the royal family and escorting goods around town and doing patrols, performing emergency services, and acting as the security for various events, but they wouldn't do in a full out battle.

They didn't even carry military level weapons, let alone trained with them. How was Iwatobi planning on winning a war with them? It would've been suicide.

Best of all, the first night, he had listened carefully to the nobles and government officials present at the welcome dinner. There was a distinct lack of animosity or concerns about Samezuka or war. Merchants didn't seem to be experiencing any major problems, either.

"Then where are those rumors coming from...?" the captain muttered to himself as he crossed his arms and leaned back against his chair. Eyes narrowed. Hadn't Lord Samezuka said that the rumors were coming from the merchants?

A low rumble came from his stomach and he sat up straight. His eyes lowered as he placed his free hand over his midsection. He glanced out the window again, to confirm his suspicion. It was midday and he hadn't eaten yet.

Carefully filing away his report, he covered his ink and put away his things before pushing himself away from the desk and standing up. He raised his arms over his head and stretched. He could hear bones cracking and grimaced. He supposed a quick walk through down be good for him. He could get something to eat and drop off some messages, as well.

* * *

Red eyes seemed to glare at the various pastries laid out before her as she pointed to a small, cream-filled puff. "Six of those."

The old woman on the other side of the counter gave her an uncertain look. "Are you certain, Priestess? You already ordered two boxes of a dozen."

"I'm not going to eat it all at once," Gou huffed. She was just going to munch on them as she continued her wanderings throughout the day. Besides, she was hungry. She had skipped breakfast in order to get to the knight's courtyard and spend time with her brother.

When that fell through, she had simply stormed off and not gone home to eat as was her original plan. She didn't even realize how long she had been wandering the city, wallowing in her irritation, until she felt her stomach protest her hunger.

Rather than go somewhere and get a full meal, she opted for her favorite food: cream puffs.

"Then, will that be all, Priestess Kou?"

She nodded and the old baker's wife began plucking the cream puffs from the display and into a paper box for her to carry.

As she waited for her pastries to be boxed and readied, Gou stood to the side of the small shop with her arms crossed and her lips in a tight line. Once more, her brother had picked his duty over her and the family. It shouldn't have been so surprising considering where he now lived, but it was frustrating, none-the-less.

Within a few days, he'd be gone again and she didn't know when she'd get the chance to spend time with him. He knew that, too, and instead of taking his free day as he should've, he was overseeing the other Samezuka knights.

"Captain Mikoshiba is unable to do so. He doesn't have a free day today due to the paperwork he has to go over,"Rin had told her. It wasn't really an apology, now that she thought about it. "As the most senior knight, I have a duty."

"But you promised you spend your free day with me!" Gou had countered. "You told me when you came to visit!"

Wisely, Makoto and Haru stayed out of the argument as Nagisa tried to distract the visiting knights by constantly reminding them of things they needed to bring with them on the boat.

"Next time," Rin had assured her. "Two days after the exhibition, I'll have another free day."

"How do I know you won't be assigned again?" she demanded. She barely had time to ask how his trip went when he came to the temple. After she had begun to doze off, he insisted she retire for the night and swore he'd spend time with her again some other time.

That time had come and her brother was going elsewhere without her.

"You know," Makoto had offered. "This is an informal activity. I'm sure Captain Sasabe won't mind if Gou joins us."

Rin's eyes had widened as he turned back to his sister. "That's a good idea," he urged. "Gou, why don't you come with-"

"No, thank you!" she replied curtly. She was not going to be an after thought! "I'd hate to be an inconvenience to you."

"Gou," Haruka and Makoto called, trying to placate her. She turned her back to them and began marching out of the courtyard. "Gou, you're not an inconvenience. Gou!"

"Gou!" Rin shouted. She ignored him and continued until she was outside the castle.

Her lower lip trembled as she now waited for her cream puffs. She was tired of being forgotten by her brother. She had put in so much effort: crossed a desert, begged the temple, tried her best to make time to see him on this rare occasion and he didn't seem to care.

"Stupid Brother," she muttered. Brush her aside, will he? She was perfectly capable of entertaining herself when she wasn't on duty. "Stupid knights...stupid _Captain_."

She had misjudged the orange-haired man. If he were as responsible as he shoud've been, he would've gotten on that boat with Makoto and the others instead of shoving his responsibility on to her brother.

A small bell rang behind her as the door to the bakery opened. "Welcome!" the woman behind the counter greeted.

"Hello." Gou tensed. She knew that voice. "The restaurant next door recommended your cream puffs for dessert."

Her eyes crinkled up. How _dare _he? Wasn't he supposed to be working? What was he doing in town, eating out and gorging on sweets? Clenching her fists at her sides, she turned around to confirm her suspicions and only grew angrier when she realized that it was indeed who she thought - Samezuka's visiting captain.

The movement caught the corner of his eye and Seijuurou turned towards the petite figure wrapped in a thin blue cloak. His eyes widened as a wide smile spread across his lips.

"Priestess!" he greeted, lifting up a hand to give her a slight wave. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Her face was reddening as her inner fury culminated. Gritting her teeth, she turned towards the baker's wife. "I retract my order!" she stated proudly. "I no longer want the cream puffs!"

She whirled around and Seijuurou stepped to the side as she brushed past him without so much as a glance.

"Priestess Kou?" he choked out as she grabbed the door handle and shoved it forward before marching out. He looked back at the old woman behind the counter, as if asking for an explanation. She looked just as surprised as he did.

Outside, Gou made it to the street corner two buildings away before she heard her title being called after her by the man who, at the moment, she didn't want to see. Refusing to turn around, Gou began to cross the street, feigning ignorance.

"Priestess Kou!" Seijuurou called out. "Priestess Kou! Are you alright?"

"Just keep walking. Don't turn around and acknowledge him," she muttered to herself as she forced herself forward.

"Priestess Kou!" He sounded closer. "Priestess, is something the matter?" A flustered man appeared in front of her with a worried expression across his face. "Are you hurt? Is something wrong?"

She grit her teeth. "No," she replied curtly. Without another word, she stepped around him.

Seijuurou turned around. "Priestess," he repeated. He followed behind her. It was fairly obvious now that she was ignoring him. "Priestess, have _I_ upset you?" he asked unsurely. "If I have, I know not how."

Gou stopped in front of him and Seijuurou froze in mid step. He tensed in his spot as she turned around sharply and sent a sharp glare in his direction.

"Why are you following me?" she frowned. "Isn't it clear that I do not wish to speak to you."

That hurt more than he cared to admit. He didn't want her upset with him. "Priestess, I would like to know, at the very least, what I have done to you that causes your anger towards me."

"My anger is caused at your inability to go about your responsibilities properly and subsequently assign my brother with a task that is supposed to be yours!" Gou nearly yelled. There - it was out.

His shoulders slumped down. He should've known that was the reason. Seijuurou took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Priestess Kou, I had no choice but to assign the overseeing duties to Sir Matsuoka. He is the most senior member of my party here, after me. As such, the responsibility would fall upon him."

"However, if you were competent in your position, it would not have been necessary to pass the responsibility on," Gou countered.

Seijuurou frowned. "Priestess," he began seriously. "You know nothing of my responsibilities and let me assure you, I am doing what I can to complete them in a timely manner. I did not wish to hand the responsibility to your brother, but it would've been negligent of me not to. Do keep in mind that while he is here, he is still a knight of Samezuka and therefore duty bound-"

"Priestess Kou!" a voice filled the street and the burgundy-haired woman leaned to the side to look past Seijuurou. Her red eyes went wide as she saw two attendants dressed in their robes trying to make their way up the street to her. "There she is!"

She paled. She had been caught.

"Priestess!" the other one called frantically. "What are you doing!? You are not allowed to go without escort!"

Seijuurou looked from the scrambling men to the young woman in front of him. Had she run away? "Priestess-"

Her small hand clamped around his wrist and she pulled him forward. "Come on! Don't stand there!" she growled as she wove through the crowded street. "They're going to catch us!"

"You mean catch you," he clarified. Why he was allowing her to drag him through the city was beyond him, but even his heart was starting to pound knowing that they were being chased. Or was his heart racing because she was holding on to him? He wasn't sure...and he didn't care. "Did you leave without telling them?"

"I was supposed to be with my brother," Gou answered sharply as she stopped at a street corner and looked from side to side, wondering which way she should go. "But because he was assigned to go with the knights today, that plan did not go through."

"Then why didn't you return to the temple?" Seijuurou asked. She tugged his arm and dragged him to the right.

"I didn't feel like it!"

"Priestess Kou, wait for us!"

"Ugh!" an irritated growl escaped her and he couldn't help but grin at her frustration. "I thought I left them back at the castle!"

Seijuurou looked over his shoulder and could see the two attendants still keeping up with them. If he recalled, she had left the castle quite some time ago, meaning the attendants must've been searching for her for over half the day already. He was _moderately_ impressed at their dedication.

He slowed down and pulled back, turning his wrist to grasp hers as he came to a stop. Gou whirled around and looked from her hand to him. Her eyes narrowed. Was she going to turn her in? She opened her mouth to demand for him to let her go, when he pulled her into an alley.

"Take my cloak," he instructed as he released her wrist and began shrugging off the heavy black cloth covering his body. "You're easy to spot in your blue hood."

His large hands placed the the cloak over her shoulders as she stood there, unsure of what to do. Seijuurou pulled up the hood and tied it closed beneath her chin as he straightened it out around her. He was tall and the cloak had been tailored to fit him; not a petite young woman.

"It's dragging," Gou stated lamely as she lifted one foot, only to keep it hidden beneath the fabric.

"That's good. They won't recognize you," he said.

"Priestess!?"

"They're coming!" Gou hissed. She wanted to run, but felt his arm go around her shoulders and gently turn her away from the street. They loomed over a stand selling fried fruit and he help his arm around her shoulder to keep her from fleeing.

"Just look down and don't make any sudden movements," he instructed in a low voice. "They won't recognize you in my cloak."

She wasn't entirely sure she had agreed, but fixed her eyes on some dried fruit slices. Behind her, she could hear the familiar sound of charms clinking against one another as the temple attendants passed in search of her. Silently, she prayed that they wouldn't ask her to turn around or try to peer into her hood, even as she knew they had no reason to.

"I can't see her," she heard one of them exclaim, defeated.

"Let's continue to the Matsuoka estate," the other suggested. "She may have been heading there."

Gou remained rooted in her spot, waiting for them to leave. She couldn't check without turning around and she had to fight every urge to in case they hadn't.

Beside her, the visiting captain handed a coin to a girl selling the dried fruit and picked up a small paper bag with some dried orange slices in it. He turned around and looked past her. "It looks clear," he said before putting a piece of fruit into his mouth. "You're free to go."

"Are you sure?" Gou asked as she carefully pushed back the hood of the large cloak.

"I'm certain," Seijuurou replied. "Are you going to continue hiding?"

"I'm not hiding," Gou asserted. "I am simply trying to have time to myself." He raised an eyebrow as she turned around and began marching in the opposite direction. Seijuurou furrowed his brows and stepped after her.

"Priestess," he called.

"Don't follow me!" she said told him firmly.

He didn't go any further, but did call out. "May I at least have my cloak back?"

Gou stopped. Her eyes widened as she remembered that she was still wrapped in warm cloth that dragged across the ground with on her. She suddenly felt its weight on her shoulders as she remembered that he had put it on her in order to help, all without question.

Guilt tugged at her. She was still upset that her brother had been given a sudden responsibility that resulted in her disappointing day, but the captain clearly had no other choice and even knowing she blamed him, he had gone out of his way to aid her once more.

He wasn't a bad person, her mind pointed out. Her pale hands grasped the edges of his cloak. He was actually quite the opposite.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She turned around and began tugging the cloak off. "My apologies, Captain," she told him as calmly as she could. She slid her arms from beneath the fabric and the masculine scent that had wrapped around her faded, making her suddenly miss it.

Seijuurou kept his distance from her, waiting until she was able to get the cloak off. As she stepped back, her foot came down on the fabric and his eyes widened. Gou faltered, tugging on the cloak to give it to him as she stepped on it. It pulled her feet from beneath her and, suddenly, she was falling backwards.

"Priestess!" As she fell, she was vaguely aware of his hands grasping her wrist and pulling her back. It was enough to help her regain her footing, but in his rush to save her from colliding with the ground, the good captain stumbled past her and missed the edge of the curb.

Gou whirled around, watching him as he tripped over his feet and collided with a wooden barrel beside a booth. "Captain!"

Water splashed up, wood cracked; freshly caught fish poured out and yelling from the fishmonger, whose catch they had just knocked all over, filled the street. Gou visibly grimaced as she looked down at the man sitting on the ground, his back and arms resting against a toppled barrel as he seemed to stare out in front of him with a look of disbelief, wondering what had just happened.

Seijuurou slowly lifted his eyes and met Gou's wide, red ones. They slowly narrowed. "Back to the knights quarters," he told her in a low voice. She bit her lower lip and stepped back. He pushed himself up and rose to his feet, never taking his eyes off her. "_Now_."

* * *

Gou swung her legs on the wooden bench pushed up against the wall that surrounded the courtyard. She had been told to sit there and wait for him while he went to wash himself off and change after she had wordlessly followed him back to the courtyard.

The captain was wet and reeked of fish, so he made her wear his cloak back in order to avoid having to carry it and passing the fishy scent to it. Of course, they couldn't leave until Captain Mikoshiba had properly apologized to the fishmonger and paid for the wasted fish. It always physically pained her to see him handing over a handful of coins just because he had come to her rescue once more.

As he bowed to the fishmonger, he sent her a look telling her apologize as well.

Gou stammered an apology while clutching his cloak against her chest. Then, they began the trek back to the courtyard. People seemed to steer clear of the tall, wet man as his boots made odd 'squish' noises on the ground with each step. Part of her felt embarrassed for him, while another part felt guilty.

She hadn't expressed her thanks for saving her - from both the attendants and a fall, even after she had yelled at him earlier. The walk back had been in silence and she wasn't sure how to break it. So, she dutifully remained. She was not ungrateful and told herself that when the captain returned after his quick bath, she would properly apologize and then thank him.

She just hoped he would return soon.

Gou sighed and looked around the empty courtyard. This was her first time there without one of the knights. When she had come to visit in the past, at least one of them or Captain Sasabe were present. The yard suddenly seemed foreign without them.

She stood up and slowly walked around. Practice equipment was pushed to the side, including a few dummies and targets. Wooden wasters were collected in a large barrel beside the storage door.

Red eyes flickered around. No one was watching...

Small hands grasped one of the wasters by the grip and pulled out. Giddily, Gou stepped back and held the wood practice sword up. From the tip to the pommel, it would've gone from the ground to her shoulders. She didn't think it was a long when she saw the knights lift them; then again, they were taller than her.

Walking to the middle of the courtyard, Gou tried to mimic a position that she had seen the knights doing. One hand went on the pommel, the other gripped lightly just below the guards.

Then she brought it down and felt her body being pulled forward at the weight. Her eyes widened as she quickly took a step forward to keep from falling. Perhaps she was doing it wrong. Lifting the sword over her head, she prepared to strike downwards.

"You're leaving your body open," a voice said behind her. Her surprised scream filled the courtyard in response.

"Ah!" Her hands immediately released the sword and she let out a yelp as it fell on top of her on its way to the ground. Her hands quickly rose.

"Oi!" The voice scolded. She rubbed her head, where the sword had fallen on top of, as she followed the male body that suddenly appeared beside her and bent down to pick up the discarded sword. "Don't just drop it; you'll damage the sword and hurt yourself."

Seijuurou grasped the grip and stood up in front of her, frowning as he dusted off the hilt. In front of him, Gou's eyes were wide as they raked over the smooth, taunt muscles of his bare shoulders, arms, and chest. Drops of water that came from his still-wet hair slid down his sun-tanned skin, hugging every dip and swell.

He looked back down at her and lifted his hand over her head. "Are you hurt?" he asked as he moved his hand gently over the top of her head, as if searching for some sort of wound. "These aren't toys, Priestess. They may be wooden, but they're still dangerous and you can get hurt."

He was too close. She could feel her face heating up as her eyes fixed on his strong collar bones and the flex on his biceps as he checked her head for injury. A large hand stroked her hair back soothingly and she swallowed hard.

"Priestess," he repeated as he lowered his arm and looked at her seriously. She wasn't answering and it was starting to worry him. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"

"No!" her voice was louder than it should've been as her eyes dropped. Silently, she hoped he hadn't caught her staring at him.

"Are you sure?" Seijuurou asked.

"It's fine!" she insisted as she took a step back to try to distance herself. She looked up and cursed her decision. She could clearly see how his belt and pants hung on his hips and the bones and muscles and fit perfectly into them. His body was better than she had thought and the sight of it only half dressed made her skin suddenly heat up and flush.

Seijuurou's brows knit together as he studied her face and followed her gaze down to his stomach. His eyes widened as he turned around. "My apologies, Priestess!" he said. He quickly crossed the yard to get to a shirt that he had dropped when she released the sword above her head. "I didn't mean to show you such an indecent sight. Please give me a moment to dress properly."

Her hands were twitching, wanting desperately to stroke and study the firm muscle of the 'indecent sight'. Gou bit her lip and clenched her hands to keep them to herself as she watched the captain slowly pull the shirt over his body. He had gorgeous back muscles as well. It was almost disappointing to see the shirt cover them.

"It's fine," she muttered, seemingly entranced. He turned around and walked past her. Instead of putting the waster back into the barrel, he reached over and grabbed another one.

"Here," he said as he walked back to her and handed her a shorter sword. "This is a bit shorter and will be better for your height." Gou looked at the sword unsurely and made no move to take it. Seijuurou raised a brow. "Do you not want it?"

He was letting her use it? "Can it?" she asked carefully.

He chuckled and handed the sword to her once more. "If you're alright, yes. Let's see your guard again."

Hesitantly, Gou took the sword. He stepped beside her and held his waster in a guard stance. Furrowing her brows, the dark pink-haired priestess mirrored his pose. "Now what?"

"Extend your arms," he said, slowly doing the motion so she could follow. "Just as you feel yourself about to lean forward, pull back on the pommel," he instructed, keeping his eyes on her hands to make sure she was doing it correctly. "And take a step froward with your back foot."

She moved a step ahead of him. "Like that?"

"Don't take such a big step," he said. "But yes, good job. You just did a descending cut."

A wide smile filled her face. "Really?"

"Really," he chuckled. "For the priestess assigned to the knights, I would think that you've witnessed these enough to know what they are."

Gou let out a small huff. "I've never tried them, though. I'd watch my brother and the others before, but no one ever gave a sword and showed me."

"You should've done what you just did now and take one for yourself," Seijuurou told her. "Step back and let's do it again."

Gou nodded and followed his instructions. "That would've been inappropriate and I would've been scolded," she pointed out.

"I won't scold you," he told her as he adjusted the sword in her hands. "I like that you don't hold back."

Her hands tightened on the hilt and turned red as she went through the descending cut once more. "Captain," she began, trying to distract herself. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier today. I was upset and I took it out on you."

"I have thick skin; it was nothing," he told her. "Keep your feet apart; you need to be stable." She nodded.

"And thank you for helping me, too," she said as she drew her arms back. "You didn't have to." She made her cut. "You've helped me so many times already."

"What kind of a knight would I be if I ignored a young woman in need?" he pointed out as he circled her, checking her posture and making minor corrections. "You're not bad."

"Really?" she asked, turning towards him.

"Really."

"Can you show me more?" He lifted his head up and met her earnest gaze.

"More?" he repeated. Gou nodded.

"I've always wanted to try, but no one has bothered to teach me," she admitted. "Nor do they have the time..." She trailed off and smiled weakly. "Then again, you're a visiting knight. I doubt you have time to. Nevermind," she shook her head, retracting her request, and turned her gaze forward. "It was a silly request."

He watched as she moved through the cut once more. Her movements were jerky and her trajectory wasn't consistent, but she seemed to enjoy doing it. There was nothing wrong with that.

"It's not silly," he said solemnly. "And I have time at night, after I'm done here."

Gou stopped in mid cut and turned look at him, surprised. "Captain, you need not entertain my curiosity," she assured him. "You've already done much for me. I am already indebted to you."

"I could use the instructing practice," he replied as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. The young priestess lowered her slow lowered her arms. "Are you free after your duties at the temple?"

* * *

"Lord Samezuka," a man's voice said behind the wooden door. "A message from Captain Mikoshiba has arrived from Iwatobi for you."

From his seat, the head of the desert duchy rose. "Enter," he called out. The door opened and his secretary walked in, bowing as he handed the other man an envelope. "It's about time he replied. He's been there for a few days already...," he muttered out loud.

"Lord Nitori has also arrived for your meeting, Lord Samezuka. Shall I send him in?" his secretary asked.

"Give me a moment," the younger man said distractedly as his eyes scanned the letter.

The secretary said nothing as Lord Samezuka pulled the letter from the envelope and began reading. Two pages hardly seemed like a thorough report, but from Captain Mikoshiba's words, it seemed that there wasn't much to report on.

The noble's lips tightened into a frown. He quickly folded the letter and looked back at his secretary. "Send in Lord Nitori."

"Yes, my lord." The old man nodded once more before slipping back out the door. Lord Samezuka paced his office as he heard voices outside before the door opened once more. "Lord Nitori, my lord."

"Thank you, you may go," Lord Samezuka dismissed. The secretary bowed once more and left the two family heads in the room. Once the door closed, the head of the duchy looked towards the older nobleman and gave him a small bow. "You have excellent timing, Lord Nitori. I just received a letter from our good captain who is visiting Iwatobi," he said as he lifted up the letter. "Have a look."

Lord Nitori took the letter and unfolded it. "Is this all?"

"Unfortunately."

He waited in silence as the other nobleman scanned the letter. Lord Nitori's eyes narrowed. "I don't like what I'm reading."

"Neither do I, Lord Nitori, neither to do I," Lord Samezuka agreed coolly. "Captain Mikoshiba doesn't see the knights as a force to be controlled by the nobles, but carrying a duty to keep the peace of our duchy. If what he writes is correct and he sees no reason to get into a war with Iwatobi, we will have problems."

Lord Nitori tossed the letter on to the desk distastefully. "We need the Mikoshiba knights if we are to successfully go through with this plan of yours."

"I'm aware, but the Mikoshiba family won't give it up so easily and as an old, well-loved family, any force against them will be met with resistance from the people," Samezuka pointed out. "Luckily, we can go around them."

Lord Nitori looked at the duchy head suspiciously. "How exactly?"

"Just continue having those men spread the rumors," Lord Samezuka urged. "I will take care of Captain Mikoshiba."

Lord Nitori frowned. "Samezuka, I do not like the tone of your voice. I will have no part in the dismissal of such a talented knight who is loyal to the duchy."

"I will not be dismissing Captain Mikoshiba," Lord Samezuka assured him. "I will just make it so that his time here and his control over the Mikoshiba knights becomes quite limited."

* * *

**A Note From the Author:**

Hello! Thank you for reading! I will be a bit slower in updating the next few chapters due to a heavy workload at work. I appreciate your patience and your time!


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